Africa-Press – Kenya. Climate change poses a great danger to public health worldwide due to its notable disruptions to significant health needs.
It has been established as a present-day public health crisis, ranging from increased vector-borne diseases to the collapse of essential health services.
The climate emergency is amplifying health inequalities, particularly in Africa.
Experts from leading organisations, including the United Nations, the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), and Elrha, are now calling for integrated action to combat this crisis.
Speaking during a high-level dialogue on climate and health in Nairobi, Fatima Mohammed Cole, Deputy Regional Director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), emphasised the urgent need to link climate action with public health responses.
“Climate change exacerbates existing vulnerabilities. It increases food insecurity, worsens water scarcity, and fuels migration, which directly affects people’s health,” she said.
The effects are already visible across the continent.
According to the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall have led to the resurgence of diseases like malaria and cholera, especially in informal urban settlements where access to clean water and sanitation is limited.
Beatrice Kiage, Research Scientist at APHRC, noted:
“We are witnessing more cases of malnutrition in children, spikes in diarrheal diseases, and increased incidences of heat stress among the elderly. Our health systems are not designed to handle the complex and compounding nature of these challenges.”
Moreover, climate-induced displacement is placing further strain on already overstretched health services.
“Women and children bear the brunt of climate displacement. They are more exposed to violence, lack access to reproductive health services, and suffer mental health consequences that go unaddressed,” Cole said.
In Kenya, APHRC’s research shows that poor urban residents are among the most vulnerable.
Over 60% of Nairobi’s population lives in informal settlements, where the effects of climate change, including flooding and heatwaves, exacerbate already precarious living conditions.
“When a mother has to choose between buying water and feeding her children, that is a health crisis rooted in climate injustice,” said Kiage.
Speaking at the forum, Professor Alastair Ager, Chair of the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Advisory Group, emphasized the importance of strengthening local health systems to respond to climate shocks.
“Climate change is not only an environmental issue but a fundamental threat to human health and well-being,” said Professor Ager.
“We must prioritize health resilience, especially in communities already facing systemic inequities,” he noted.
He stressed that evidence-based interventions, grounded in local realities, are essential to mitigate the cascading effects of climate change on public health, particularly in urban informal settlements where vulnerabilities are most acute.
APHRC is advocating for climate-resilient health systems and localized adaptation strategies. Beatrice Kiage called for increased investment in health infrastructure, community health workers, and public awareness campaigns that tie climate action to health outcomes.
Cole urged African governments and the international community to act with urgency.
“Protecting health must be at the center of climate strategies. We need policies that are people-centered and that uphold the right to health and a clean environment,” she said.
As the world races to meet climate goals under the Paris Agreement, Africa stands at a critical juncture.
Bridging the gap between climate resilience and public health could mean the difference between sustainable development and spiraling crises.
The stakeholders noted that the intersection of climate change and public health demands cross-sectoral action because, as experts warn, the health of our planet and its people are inseparably linked.
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