“Climate Change and human health in Africa”

Potential health benefits of SLCP mitigation

Dr J. D. van Hasselt

Intergovermental Consultation on Near-Term Climate Protection and Clean Air Benifits in Africa

Accra September 2012

WHO

Estimated effect of climate change in year 2000 by region (DALY’s per million population)

• African region 3071.5• SE Asia 1703.5• Dev countries 8.9

Campbell-Lendrum DH, Corvalán CF, Prüss Ustün A. How much disease could climate change cause? In: McMichael AJ, Campbell-Lendrum DH, Corvalan CF, et al, eds. Climate change and human health: risks and responses. Geneva: WHO, 2003.

Impact

• Climate change is the biggest global health threat of 21st Century’

Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health Commission: 2009 Report

• Loss of healthy life years as a result ofglobal environmental change predicted in poor

African populations 500 > EuropeanGlobal environmental change and health: impacts, inequalities, and the health sector.BMJ 2008; 336: 191–94. McMichael AJ, et al.

Mortality Related to Climate Change

Source: Climate Change and Global Health: Quantifying a Growing Ethical Crisis, 2007, Jonathan A. Patz, Holly K. Gibbs, Jonathan A. Foley, Jamesine V.

Rogers, and Kirk R. Smith

Mozambique

“Climate change is having a severe and tangible effect … with devastated communities and destroyed infrastructure”

CVM Mid Year Report 2010

Intersectoral basis of mortality (WHO 2009)

Sectors assessed for adaptation support(World Bank 2009)

Agriculture, forest & fisheries

Infrastructure

Water supply

Health

Coastal zones

Extreme weather

Annual deaths linked to selected related risks(WHO 2008, 2009)

3.5 million undernutrition

2 million indoor air pollution

2 million diarrhoea

900,000 malaria

30,000- 60,000 extreme weather

WHO estimates that climate change currently causes over 140,000 deaths/year – with highest impacts in Africa

Climate Change Health Impacts

• Increased malnutrition & related disorders, including those relating to child growth and development (FOOD)

• Diarrheal/water borne/water washed diseases (WATER)

• Higher temperatures expand range of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria (OUTBREAKS)

• Floods, storms, fires and droughts (DISASTERS)

Hunger and Food Security

One out of four children in West Africa are underweight ~600,000 children under the age of five in the region

die annually from causes related to malnutrition

UNICEF September 2011

Daily calorie intake in almost half of all SADC countries has declined compared to the early nineties

De Wit, M. and Midgley, S.J.E. 2012. Hunger and Climate Change: An analysis of key variables in southern Africa. OneWorld Sustainable Investments, Cape

Town, South Africa.

SLCP’s: Adverse Health Impacts

• Exposure to IAP from solid biomass fuels associated with COPD (adults) and ALRI’s (children) plus several other adverse health effects

• Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI’s) are the single leading cause of death of children under 5 years old worldwide

• Risk factors include nutritional status, crowding

Poverty Hunger Respiratory Disease

South Africa: SLCP and IAP

• Relatively well researched• Post 1994 policies aimed at reducing IAP• Relative risk for childhood mortality due to ALRI is 1.95 in

homes burning polluting fuels • Introduction of cleaner energy (electricity) significantlyprotective of respiratory health

Barnes, B. Mathee, A. Thomas E. and Bruce, N. 2009. Household energy, indoor air pollution and child respiratory health in South Africa. Journal of Energy in South Africa. Vol 20 No 1.

Key Gaps

•Few recognized studies and little regional research

• International literature-extrapolated/derivative data

•Health sector–more immediate priorities

•Inadequate disease surveillance and poor public health data

Leadership commitments

‘2nd Interministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa

‘Joint Statement on Climate Change and Health’ Angola 2010

Resolution (AFR-RC61-10)‘Framework for Public Health Adaptation to Climate

Change in the African Region’ September 2011

Responses

‘ ..while there is uncertainty regarding the exact impact of climate change on health, fortunately, there is much less uncertainty around the best responses. These include, .. greater and more resilient coverage of water and sanitation resources. They also include improvements to protect health both from extreme weather events, and any long-term degradation in the environmental determinants of health, such as air quality, the availability of fresh water, and food security. All of these interventions would both save lives now, and increase resilience to gradual climate change.’

Campbell-Lendrum D et al: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2010;88:242-242.

Thank You