Human health and climate change:Mainstreaming environment and climate change adaptation in the implementation of national development policies and plans

Abstract

The long-term good health of a population depends on the continued stability and functioning of the ecological and physical systems. Climate change, therefore, is a significant and emerging threat to public health. Effects of climate change on human health are largely based on impacts of climatic events on the physical environment. Climate change (CC) has a number of immediate and long-term impacts on the fundamental determinants of human health. Climate Change: Is a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (i.e. through statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period typically decades or longer. Climate Change-related impacts on the ecosystems, for example, are likely to affect population by creating favourable conditions for disease vectors or disease pathogens as well as placing the communities at high risk of malnutrition, diarrhoeal diseases and other environmental health effects attributable to Climate Change (Ebi et al., 2007). Changes in the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases are some of the most widely documented potential effects of Climate Change, which have significant consequences for human health as well as economic and societal impacts (Chan et aI., 1999). In Tanzania the impact of climatic change on health is evident in many parts of the country. Currently malaria which was not common in many places is now wide spread inmate, Arusha, Mbeya, Njombe, Makete, Mbinga etc because of the changes in humidity and temperature which favours Mosquito breeding and the development of parasite causing malaria to complete the cycle of man-mosquito-man (Yanda et. al.'2006) Other diseases related to climatic change are like Rift Valley Fever, Bilharzia, Plague, Yellow fever, Dengue haemorrhagic fever, Filariasis and Water-borne diseases. Physical displacement of people due to Climate Change related calamities have also impacts on human health.