Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts on Human Health

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• Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change
  Impacts on Human Health
• F. Agyemang-Yeboah
• UNFCC SEMINAR ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER ON
  ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION
  TO CLIMATE CHANGE, TOBAGO, 14-16 JUNE 2005
• School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah
  University of Science and Technology, Kumasi,
  Ghana.

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Summary of Presentation

• Potential Climate Change Impacts on Human
  Health-An illustrative model
• The Ghanaian Case Study
• Identification of technologies from the Ghanaian
  perspective
• Other options of Adaptation technologies
• The decision making process
• Conclusion

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INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

• Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Human
  Health
• It is now established that global climate change
  would affect human health via pathways either
  directly or indirectly at different time rate.
• Climate change act via less direct mechanism to
  affect the ecosystem and therefore the
  transmission of many diseases. It also affects
  food security.
• The distribution and abundance of vector
  organisms (carriers) and intermediate hosts are
  affected by both physical (temp. humidity.
  rainfall etc.) and biological factors
  (vegetation, host species, competitors, predators
  etc.) in the ecosystem

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POOR RAINS
Inadequate in volume and distribution
Poor grass
Poor Harvest
People Underfed (Malnutrition)
Overgrazing where grass is good
Less meat, less milk
Animals underfed
Grass /vegetation cover lost
Over-grazing, trees cut down for fuel
Animal death
Poverty
LAND DEGRADATION
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TYPICAL CASES FROM GHANA
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Mean air temperature scenario seasonal pattern
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Distribution of the number of malaria cases and
maximum air temperature
High maximum air temperature values corresponds
to low number of malaria cases and vice versa.
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• Generally, increasing mean relative humidity
  corresponds to increasing incidence of malaria,
  whilst decreasing mean relative humidity
  corresponds to decreasing incidence of malaria.

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Distribution of the number of malaria cases and
rainfall amount
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Comments

• Baseline study shows that under the present
  climatic conditions malaria is perennial.
• Mean air temperature ranges from mean air
  temperatures 24.8ºC to 27.9ºC for Ashanti Region
• The maximum number of malaria cases occurs in
  June at mean air temperature of 25.8ºC.
• Low number of malaria cases occurs in February ,
  March and April where mean air temperature ranges
  from 27.6ºC in April , 27.9ºC in both February
  and March respectively.

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Distribution of Meningitis cases and maximum air
temperature
Periods of high meningitis cases coincide with
periods of high maximum air temperature
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Distribution of diarrhoea cases and rainfall
amount
High number of diarrhoea cases corresponds to
periods of high rainfall amount and vice versa
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Malaria

• Cost of malaria treatment 2003 figures
• Total cost Direct Cost Indirect Cost
• Direct Cost Costs of Drugs OPD fees
  Laboratory fees etc.
• Indirect Cost Opportunity Cost of Labour for
  affected person and caring parent

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Total Cost for Children

• Total Cost for Children Direct Cost Indirect
  Cost
• Direct Cost 210, 680 21500 4, 529,
  620, 000.00
• Indirect Cost 210680 9600 7 14, 157,
  696, 000.00
• Total for Children 18, 687,
  316, 000.00

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Total Cost of Adults

• Total Cost for Adults (Direct Indirect)
• Direct Costs 353608 23,000
  8132984000.00
• Indirect Cost 353608 9,6007 23762457600
• Total Cost for Adults 31, 895,
  441, 600.00

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Total Cost Burden

• Total Cost Burden for Adults and Children in the
  year 2003
• Total for Children Total for Adults
• 18, 687, 316, 000.00 31, 895, 441, 600.00
• 50, 582, 757, 600.00 (1US8,000 at 2003
  which is approximately US6,000,000/year)
• NB. Only two regions of Ghana.

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Summary of socioeconomic impacts

• Reduced income of affected individuals due to
  loss of productivity
• Increased expenditure of affected families
• Increased insecurity of employment (low skilled
  workers and casuals)
• Diminished quality of life
• Social disruption
• Reduction in Gross Domestic Product
• Increased cost of Health Delivery at the National
  Level

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Population Vulnerability and Adaptive Response

• It should however be mentioned that human
  populations as with individuals, vary in their
  vulnerability to certain health outcomes. This
  will thus affect not only the type but the choice
  of adaptive strategies to offset those effects.

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HEALTH ADAPTION STRATEGIES FROM THE GHANAIAN
PESPECTIVE

• Two main strategies can be identified
• PREVENTIVE STRATEGY( Primary, Secondary and
  Tertiary)
• CURATIVE STRATEGIES (Diagnosis, Management and
  Monitoring)
• All technologies for adaptation (Ghanas
  perspective) to combat the effect of climate
  change/variability on health will be discussed
  along this line.

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ADAPTATION OPTIONS

• NB. 1-3.PREVENTIVE ADAPTATIONS
• 4CURATIVE ADATATIONS
• PRIMARY PREVENTION Any intervention implemented
  before there is evidence of disease or injury
  (e.g. avoiding hazardous exposure to asbestos,
  pollen, using insecticide-impregnated mosquito
  nets etc.)
• SECONDARY PREVENTION Any intervention
  implemented after disease has begun but before
  symptoms show (e.g. early detection or screening
  for say cholera) and subsequent treatment to
  avert full progression to disease. Enhancing
  monitoring and surveillance, improving disaster
  response and recovery and strengthening the
  public health system.
• 3. TERTIARY PREVENTION Any intervention to
  minimize the adverse effects of an existing
  disease and injury (e.g. better treatment of heat
  stroke, improved diagnosis of vector-borne
  disease.
• 4. MANAGEMENT Any intervention taken to treat
  or manage existing diseases or injury (drug
  prescription and compliance)

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HEALTH ADAPTATION STRATEGIES EXAMPLES FROM THE
GHANAIAN PESPECTIVE
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OTHER SPECIFIC ADAPTION TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS

• Heat-related illness-
• Design buildings to be more heat resistant
  (insulation, air flow, air-conditioning)
• Planting trees to reduce urban heat effect
• Creating public education campaigns to offset
  risk of heat wave
• Establishing new weather watch/warning systems
  that focus on health related adverse conditions
• Agricultural Stresses-
• Production of climate- resistant seeds, plants,
  high yielding varieties eg. Obaatanpa maize-
  Genetically modified grains? (ethical issues)
• Promoting land reform and management systems that
  favour environmentally sound land usage
• Reducing the proportion of monocultural farming
  practices to increase yield and also for better
  resistance to pests.
• OTHERS- ELISA(Diagnostics), enzymes for
  biodegrading waste, Affrostestation, Bushes
  fires, bio-fuel to reduce air pollution

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THE DECISION MAKING FRAMEWORK FOR ADOPTING A
TECHNOLOGY-Key Questions(Monitoring and
Evaluation)

• What are the main drivers behind the decision? Is
  it mainly about adapting to future climate? If
  not, could climate change be important? Is it
  most appropriate to meet local needs?
• What are the criteria for recognizing a
  successful outcome? What are the legislative
  requirements or constraints? What are the rules
  for making the decision? -risk averse or focused
  on maximizing benefit or minimizing cost
• What is the lifetime of your decision? What
  climate variables could be most important? How
  could climate change affect your ability to meet
  your objectives?
• What range of technology options should be
  considered? High Tech, Medium Tech or Low Tech?
• How do these options rate against your criteria?
  Could particular options make it difficult for
  others to manage climate change?
• Is there a clear preferred option?
• Did the decision deliver the expected benefit or
  not?

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1
Identify problem and objectives
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Monitor
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Establish decision making criteria

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7
Assess risk
Implement decision
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4
Appraise options
Identify options
No
Yes
Problems defined correctly?
YES
Criteria met?
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Conclusion

• Effective technological adaptation and transfer
  will require individuals skilled at recognizing,
  reporting and responding to health threats
  associated with climate change.
• Building capacity is therefore an essential step
  in preparing adaptation strategies. Education,
  awareness creation and the creation of legal
  frameworks, institution and an environment that
  enables people to take well-informed, long-term
  sustainable decision are all needed.
• Building adaptive capacity in public health will
  also require strong and determined vision of
  appropriate healthcare delivery systems.
• It must be stressed adapting to climate change
  will require more than financial and technology,
  human resource and knowledge are essential as
  well as institutions that are committed to face
  the health challenges associated with climate
  change.

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END

• THANK YOU !