Each year several million people lose their lives or are unable to make a full contribution to society and economic development because of environment-related diseases. An EU-funded international collaborative research initiative aimed to reduce the future burden of three water-related vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in eastern Africa as a result of projected changes in climate and other environmental conditions.
Changes in environmental, including climate, conditions can have negative impacts on health through altering the distribution and epidemic potential of infectious diseases. This is particularly the case where a disease involves another organism (a vector or intermediate host) in its transmission and where public health infrastructure is poorly developed. Excessive burdens can be placed on already stretched health and/or veterinary services as a result.
Further details: A healthier tomorrow for eastern Africa