WHO highlights climate change's impact on malaria and neglected tropical diseases
Content Editor: Dr. Manjeet
May 30, 2024 at 2:00:00 PM
Neglected tropical diseases, Research, Environment, Climate change

This scoping review, which includes 42,693 articles, has been published in collaboration with Reaching the Last Mile (RLM), and is published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The key Findings by the WHO task force on Climate change, NTDs & malaria are-
Climate Impact on Disease Spread: Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns are expanding the geographic range of disease vectors like mosquitoes, increasing the risk of malaria and NTDs in new regions.
Vulnerable Communities: Shifts in disease prevalence and intensity are most acutely felt in communities already disproportionately affected by these diseases.
Urgent Need for Comprehensive Models: Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of WHO’s Global NTD Programme, emphasized the necessity for standardized models to predict climate change effects on these diseases.
However, a few research gaps were found, which include-
Focus on Low-Disease Burden Countries: Most research has been conducted in countries with high access to quality healthcare, neglecting regions with significant disease burdens.
Lack of Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies: Only 34% of the studies reviewed addressed mitigation strategies, and a mere 5% focused on adaptation methods.
This critical and timely review highlights alarming trends and serves as a call to urgent action.
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