Africa needs climate data to fight disease

Climate variability and change are a major concern for public health in Africa. The livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people there are dependent on rain-fed agriculture and seasonal water resources. Poor rural communities also suffer from under-nutrition and bear the greatest burden of infectious diseases and natural disasters while having the least access to public-health services. Many of Africa’s most important cities are on the coast and at risk of sea level rise. Without adequate infrastructure they are vulnerable to poor sanitation during floods and shortages of drinking water and loss of hydroelectric power during droughts. Rising temperatures, air pollutants and dust threaten to increase heat stress and respiratory disease