Being able to predict where and when extreme weather and other environmental impacts of climate change will increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks can help public health officials respond earlier and more effectively to control the spread and reduce its toll.
Being able to predict where and when extreme weather and other environmental impacts of climate change will increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks can help public health officials respond earlier and more effectively to control the spread and reduce its toll.
In fact, early warning systems designed to do just this have been developed in recent years to help control outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever and other diseases in parts of the Tropics. But their implementation has been undercut by funding uncertainties, overburdened local health systems, insufficient training for local health technicians, and a lack of buy-in from decision makers in government.
An analysis by an international team of researchers from 15 institutions evaluates these barriers to implementation and proposes new ways forward. The team published its recommendations Nov. 9 in The Lancet Planetary Health.
One key, the researchers say, is early engagement with crucial decision makers.
Read more at Duke University
Image: Duke University professor William Pan meets with leaders of a local community in Peru to discuss a new early warning system he’s developed to predict and help prevent malaria outbreaks. (Credit: Duke University)
