We need to place cross sectoral work at the heart of managing climate-related health emergencies in Africa, argues Magaran Monzon Bagayoko
Today, the negative impact of climate change on health and wellbeing is undeniable.123 Nowhere is this anticipated to have greater impact than in Africa, lower income countries, and small island developing states where social, political, environmental, and economic conditions already create serious health vulnerabilities.456 Of the nearly 2000 public health events recorded in the African region between 2001 and 2021, 56% were climate related, with 25% more events recorded in the past decade compared with the previous one.7 These include waterborne and vector-borne disease emergencies such as cholera, malaria, and arbovirosis.18
The average duration for the malaria transmission season increased by 13.8% in the highland areas of Africa, and the likelihood of dengue fever transmission rose by 12.0% between 1950 and 2021.1 The continent is facing the