40WHO_Health and climate

ATLASOFHEALTHANDCLIMATEDISCLAIMERThedesignationsemployedandthepresentationofthematerialinthispublicationdonotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartoftheWorldHealthOrganizationnoronthepartoftheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territory,cityorareaorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries.Dottedanddashedlinesonmapsrepresentapproximateborderlinesforwhichtheremaynotyetbefullagreement.Detailedinformationaboutmaps,suchasondatasource,mapproductionandcopyright,willbeprovidedinendnotesattheendofthepublication.Thementionofspecificcompaniesorofcertainmanufacturers’productsdoesnotimplythattheyareendorsedorrecommendedbytheWorldHealthOrgani-zationnortheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationinpreferencetoothersofasimilarnaturethatarenotmentioned.Errorsandomissionsexcepted,thenamesofproprietaryproductsaredistinguishedbyinitialcapitalletters.AllreasonableprecautionshavebeentakenbytheWorldHealthOrganizationandtheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationtoverifytheinformationcontainedinthispublication.However,thepublishedmaterialisbeingdistributedwithoutwarrantyofanykind,eitherexpressedorimplied.Theresponsibilityfortheinterpretationanduseofthemateriallieswiththereader.InnoeventshalltheWorldHealthOrganizationnortheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationbeliablefordamagesarisingfromitsuse.WHOLIBRARYCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATAAtlasofhealthandclimate.1.Communicablediseases.2.Emergencies.3.Climatechange.4.Globalhealth.5.Environmentalhealth.6.Disasters.7.Atlases.I.WorldHealthOrganization.II.WorldMeteorologicalOrganization.PrintedinSwitzerland©WorldHealthOrganizationandWorldMeteorologicalOrganization2012WMO-No.1098Allrightsreserved.ThispublicationcanbeobtainedfromeithertheWorldHealthOrganizationortheWorldMeteorologicalOrganizationatthefollowingaddresses:WHOPressWorldHealthOrganization(WHO),Tel.:[phone]AvenueAppia,Fax:+41(0)2279148571211Geneva27,SwitzerlandE-mail:[e-mail]::[e-mail]eproduceortranslatethepublicationshouldbeaddressedtoWHOPress,attheaboveaddress(fax:[phone];e-mail:[e-mail])or:Chair,PublicationsBoardWorldMeteorologicalOrganization(WMO)7bis,avenuedelaPaixTel.:[phone]P.O.Box2300Fax:[phone]CH-1211Geneva2,SwitzerlandE-mail:[e-mail]9789241564526(WHO;NLMclassification:WA30.5);978-92-63-11098-5(WMO)Coverillustrations:Stockbyte(front);OliScarff/GettyImages(back)ATLASOFHEALTHANDCLIMATEPREFACE........................................................4SECTION1|INFECTIONS7MALARIA..............................................8DIARRHOEA............................................12MENINGITIS............................................16DENGUEFEVER..........................................20SECTION2|EMERGENCIES25FLOODSANDCYCLONES....................................26DROUGHT.............................................30AIRBORNEDISPERSIONOFHAZARDOUSMATERIALS..................34CONTENTSSECTION3|EMERGINGENVIRONMENTALCHALLENGES39HEATSTRESS...........................................40UVRADIATION..........................................44POLLENS..............................................48AIRPOLLUTION..........................................52ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................57NOTESANDREFERENCES............................................594Humanhealthisprofoundlyaffectedbyweatherandclimate.Extremeweathereventskilltensofthousandsofpeopleeveryyearandunderminethephysicalandpsychologicalhealthofmillions.Droughtsdirectlyaffectnutritionandtheincidenceofdiseasesassociatedwithmalnutrition.Floodsandcyclonescantriggeroutbreaksofinfectiousdiseasesanddamagehospitalsandotherhealthinfrastructure,overwhelminghealthservicesjustwhentheyareneededmost.Climatevariabilityalsohasimportantconsequencesforhealth.Itinfluencesdiseasessuchasdiarrhoeaandmalaria,whichkillmillionsannuallyandcauseillnessandsufferingforhundredsofmillionsmore.Long-termclimatechangethreatenstoexacerbatetoday’sprob-lemswhileunderminingtomorrow’shealthsystems,infrastructure,socialprotectionsystems,andsuppliesoffood,water,andotherecosystemproductsandservicesthatarevitalforhumanhealth.Whiletheimpactofclimatechangeonhealthisfeltglobally,differentcountriesexperiencetheseimpactstodifferentdegrees.Evidenceshowsthatthemostsevereadverseeffectstendtostrikethepoorestandmostvulnerablepopulations.Inaddition,theadversehealthimpactsofclimateareworsenedbyrapidandunplannedurbanization,thecontaminationofairandwater,andotherconsequencesofenvironmentallyunsustainabledevelopment.ConcernabouthowachangingclimatewillaffecthealthisreflectedintheUNFrameworkConventiononClimateChangeandtheGlobalFrameworkforClimateServices.Countrieshavealsorecognizedtheneedtoprotecthealthfromclimate-relatedrisksthroughcollaborativeactiononmanagingdisasterrisk,ensuringaccesstosafeandadequatewaterandfood,andstrengtheningprepared-ness,surveillanceandresponse