Abstract
A high level expert panel discussed how climate and health services could best collaborate to improve public health. This was on the agenda of the recent Third International Climate Services Conference, held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, 4–6 December 2013. Issues and challenges concerning a demand led approach to serve the health sector needs, were identified and analysed. Important recommendations emerged to ensure that innovative collaboration between climate and health services assist decision-making processes and the management of climate-sensitive health risk. Key recommendations included: a move from risk assessment towards risk management; the engagement of the public health community with both the climate sector and development sectors, whose decisions impact on health, particularly the most vulnerable; to increase operational research on the use of policy-relevant climate information to manage climate- sensitive health risks; and to develop in-country capacities to improve local knowledge (including collection of epidemiological, climate and socio-economic data), along with institutional interaction with policy makers.
Highlights
Health providers have long understood that knowledge about the climate is relevant to clinical practice and public health programming
While climate services are being developed for different sectors, such as agriculture and water resource planning, it is clear that effective demand from the health community in many regions is very low or non-existent
Climate service providers are generally absent from the broad public health community of practice
Summary
Health providers have long understood that knowledge about the climate is relevant to clinical practice and public health programming. Health policy makers and practitioners are well aware of the impact of climate on the dynamics of many diseases and health conditions, such as malaria, emerging infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease, nutrition deficiencies and food security. Despite this understanding, climate information is rarely exploited as a means to help prevent and control such health risks. Climate service providers are generally absent from the broad public health community of practice
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