**Exercise to plot climate-sensitive diseases in geographically defined populations:**

Motivated by concerns about health vulnerabilities related to climate change, a joint WHO/WMO/UNEP/UNDP workshop was conducted in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya regions66. Only crude estimates of the current burden of climate-sensitive diseases were available because of the lack of health surveillance data at the local level. Therefore, a qualitative assessment was conducted as a first step to generate this information. Expert judgment was used to determine the extent to which climate-sensitive diseases could be a concern in populations in mountainous and non-mountainous regions of six countries (Table 8).


M-P health determinant or outcome occurs in mountainous and non-mountainous (i.e. plains) areas;

P health determinant or outcome occurs only in non-mountainous areas;

520 Risk Management – Current Issues and Challenges

*variables of interest to public health officials*"63.

*project health impacts in future studies*"63.

relevant to health outcomes is vital for these decisions63.

*4.4.5. Examples of good practice in CRM for health* 

*outcomes could occur*."63.

the following:

**populations:**

hazards. "*A geographical perspective and the use of geographical information systems (GIS) offer opportunities to show current distributions of, for example, vulnerable populations and the spatial relationship to disease vectors, river basins prone to flooding, health facilities, and other important* 

It is important to keep in mind the following caution when models are used to project the health risks of climate change. "*Modeling can be a complex undertaking requiring highly technical expertise and specific data inputs that take time and effort to acquire. The capacity to design and run models to project health impacts can be developed through training courses and other mechanisms. A goal of the assessment could be to build research capacity and increase the availability of models to* 

It is all about what happens locally. "*Risk management works best when tailored to local circumstances. Combining local knowledge with additional scientific and technical expertise helps communities reduce their risk and adapt to climate change (robust evidence, high agreement)*"63.

The health impacts that may occur in a particular location will depend on the actual climate and climate changes experienced and the vulnerability of the community and region. Qualitative data may allow changes to be assessed over short time periods, but, it is clear that "*Models are generally used to quantitatively estimate how the health risks of climate change could increase or decrease over time, particularly for longer time periods*"70. Indeed, "*models can explore the range of potential impacts of a changing climate in the context of other drivers of population health to better understand where, when and in what population groups' negative health* 

For decision-makers, it is important to have certainty that their decisions are "climateproof". The availability and use of locally specific *c*limate and meteorological information

WHO developed a Technical Document on Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Tool with input from over 20 countries that designed to provide basic and flexible guidance on conducting national or sub-national vulnerability and adaptation assessments. The document provides examples and references for users63. Some examples of practice provided in this document that would benefit from better access to climate information are

Motivated by concerns about health vulnerabilities related to climate change, a joint WHO/WMO/UNEP/UNDP workshop was conducted in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya regions66. Only crude estimates of the current burden of climate-sensitive diseases were available because of the lack of health surveillance data at the local level. Therefore, a

**Exercise to plot climate-sensitive diseases in geographically defined** 

– health determinant or outcome is not present in the country (WHO/SEARO, 2006).

Source: Kristie L. Ebi, Rosalie Woodruff, Alexander von Hildebrand and Carlos Corvalan (2007). Climate changerelated health impacts in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas. Ecohealth, 4:264–27067

**Table 8.** Current climate-related health determinants and outcomes in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya regions
