•A statement from the WHO noted of the 2,121 public health events recorded in Africa between 2001 and 2021, 56 per cent were climate-related.
•The agreement comes as Kenya prepares host over 10,000 delegates in Nairobi for Africa Climate Summit and the Africa Climate Week in September.
Image: FILE
Climate change is to be blame for the increased respiratory problems, fevers and mental illnesses, experts have said.
And the situation will worsen according to head of Amref Health Africa Dr Githinji Gitahi.
Gitahi said African governments have paid little attention to the increasing danger of climate change on health with only less than 20 per cent of the countries mentioning health in their climate change plans.
“The negative impact of global warming on the health of people and their health systems are already here with us and will only get worse,” Gitahi warned.
He spoke in Geneva at the ongoing World Health Assembly, where Amref and the World Health Organization launched a regional initiative to tackle the health impacts of climate change in Africa.
“Through the initiative, we seek to work with the governments and support them to understand the impact of climate change on health through evidence so that we can inform the nationally determined contributions and national planning to better protect health systems against threats of climate change,” Githinji said.
The initiative seeks to strengthen the African voice in health at the Conference of the Parties and in other global forums on climate action and negotiation.
A statement from the WHO noted that of the 2,121 public health events recorded in Africa between 2001 and 2021, 56 per cent were climate-related.
Natural disasters account for 70 per cent of all the disasters that occurred between 2017 and 2021.
Of recent memory, cyclone Freddy in southern Africa killed at least 676 people and displaced thousands in Malawi, its epicentre, the WHO said.
“The consequences of climate change have a direct effect on our health and well-being, with our region suffering some of its worst impacts,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti.
Moeti is the WHO Regional Director for Africa.
“The initiative launched today lays a strong foundation for building resilient health systems that can continue providing essential services even as they deal with the devastation of floods, drought, environmental degradation, disease outbreaks and other impacts of climate change,” he added.
The agreement comes as Kenya prepares to host over 10,000 delegates in Nairobi for Africa Climate Summit and the Africa Climate Week in September.
Environment CS Soipan Tuya made the announcement on Friday saying preparations for the two conferences which will be held between September 4 and 8 at the Kenyatta International Convention Center are complete.
"The participants will include government delegations, representatives from UN agencies, multilateral development institutions, financial institutions, private sector and business leaders, philanthropies, international and national non-state actors, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, youth representatives as well as delegates conducting research and the academia,” Tuya said.
The CS made the announcement when she presided over the unveiling of the Africa Climate Summit and the Africa Climate Week Secretariat and Steering Committee.
The government of Denmark through its embassy provided finances for securing the magnificent Secretariat Office that is based at 316 Upper Hill Chambers along Ngong Road.
The Embassy provided Sh137 million.