Public health should consider meteorology to prevent disease, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO), in Atlas da Saúde e do Clima study, released today (29), warning that human health is threatened by climate change. The publication highlights that droughts, floods and cyclones generate outbreaks of diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, dengue and meningitis.

Atlas of Climate and Health, there are practical examples of how to adopt public health actions to prevent problems caused by climate change. The Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan, said it is crucial to prevent and prepare the population. According to her, the combined actions give life to the heart of public health. Information on climate variability and change are powerful ferramentos that help our tasks, he said.

The Director-General noted that, for now, the data of weather information services have been underutilized in public health. For her, the lack of attention to this data ends up increasing the incidence of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, cholera and meningitis. According to the study, the situation becomes worse especially among children and the elderly.

The Atlas of Climate and Health examines the effects of climate change on every continent. At the mention of South America, the publication highlights the floods in southern Brazil, mainly in Santa Catarina, and drought in the north, especially in the Amazon.

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