237516 Tools for adapting to infectious disease impacts from climate change

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Jan C. Semenza, PhD, MPH, MS , Office of the Chief Scientist, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
Europe will endure differential impacts from climate change with specific vulnerabilities in each bio-geographic region. The dynamics of infectious disease transmission are intricate in their own right but particularly so under climate change scenarios when distribution and transmission patterns are projected to shift. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has developed three tools for adapting to these impending challenges.

1) Knowledge mapping for climate change and food and waterborne diseases (FWD)

Information (key facts) was extracted from peer-reviewed 722 relevant publications for the period 1998 to 2009 and entered into an electronic knowledgebase. Key facts (~ 50,000 words) pertaining to temperature, precipitation, water, food, etc. for 6 selected pathogens were scrutinized, evaluated and compiled according to exposure pathways. Electronic data mining can facilitate management of future threats from infectious diseases.

2) A tool for Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) for climate change and FWD

ECDC has developed a highly versatile decision support tool to estimate infection risks from climate change. Through QMRA of FWD this tool can assist decision makers in prioritizing different adaptation options. The tool includes a total of 13 QMRA combinations, each existing of consecutively linked modules selected from a total of 22 modules which can be run under current location-specific climate conditions; projected climate; or specific conditions depending on the selected modules.

3) A handbook for vulnerability, impact and adaption assessment of climate change health threats from infectious diseases

ECDC has developed a toolkit with a set of decision-making algorithms to help assess vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptation. Criteria for evaluating health and economic variables and options for monitoring and evaluation are presented to guide prioritisation of adaptation strategies.

These three tools can help public health practitioners allocate scarce resources under climate change conditions.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
List climate change vulnerabilities from infectious diseases. Describe climate change adaptation tools for infectious diseases. Compare different adaptation options to infectious diseases.

Keywords: Climate Change, Communication

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee the ECDC program on climate change.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: *Poster Session*: Climate change impacts on health
See more of: Environment