Climate change

Impacts of climate change

Flooding

Climate change impacts health in very many ways. Its direct effect is in the form of death and injury from the various manifestations of heat stress, storm and surges, landslide and erosion, drowning from flood; vector, vehicle (water, air, vermin and insects) and food borne diseases; malnutrition due to falling agricultural yield (especially in the South-East Asian Region of WHO) and higher market price of cereals due to the fall in yield; mental health problems due to extreme and sudden weather events, migration, change in occupation and aggravation of poverty due to these events and higher cost of health care and medical care.

Highlighted publication

Book cover

Regional Strategy for protecting health from climate change

This Regional Strategy for Protecting Health from Climate Change has been developed to fulfil the decisions taken at the 25th Meeting of Ministers of Health at Thimphu, Bhutan in 2007. The meeting urged WHO to formulate a Regional Strategy to combat the adverse health impacts of climate change. It also requested WHO to provide technical support for applied research, facilitate knowledge-sharing between Member States, assist in resource mobilization and facilitate Regional coordination to voice common concerns at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In addition, the Regional Committee in 2009 (SEA/RC62/R2) urged the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia to develop a strategy for funding health-related climate action plans. This document is expected to assist Member States in developing, strengthening and/or updating their national strategies on climate change and health, and their national plans on protecting health from climate change.

World Health Organization
Regional Office for South-East Asia
World Health House
Indraprastha Estate
Mahatma Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 002, India
Telephone: +91-11-23370804, 23370809-11