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Climate change and health in the Western Pacific Region : synthesis of evidence, profiles of selected countries and policy direction

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WHO report highlights health impacts of climate change

The health sector has a vital role to play in order to respond and minimize the threats that climate change poses to human health

MANILA, 26 APRIL - The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific has released a new report with scientific evidence of climate change affecting health and recommended actions for countries in the Region.

The report, Climate Change and Health in the Western Pacific Region: Synthesis of evidence, profiles of selected countries and policy direction highlights close links between health and climate change and the need for the health sector to respond to the threats posed by climate change, particularly focusing on the most vulnerable populations.

The impacts are not only limited to climate-sensitive diseases, but also affect a wide range of environmental and social determinants of health.

In response to the threat of climate change, the World Health Assembly in 2008 adopted resolution WHA61.19 on climate change and health. In 2008, the fifty-ninth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific also endorsed the Regional Framework for Action to Protect Human Health from Effects of Climate change in the Asia Pacific Region.

Following endorsement of the regional framework, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and country offices have been supporting Member States in developing and implementing national strategies, capacity-building in health adaptations to climate change and health vulnerability assessments. .

“Health must be considered when addressing climate change, and actions to strengthen health sectors' role in climate change adaptation plans should be integrated at the national level,” said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific in the new report. “The challenges are clear. Member States and stakeholders in communities across our vast Region must now work together if we are to mitigate and manage the health impacts of climate change.”

An increase in extreme weather events is one of the most prominent health risks posed by climate change in the Region, which contains many island nations and archipelagos. Climate models predict an increased frequency of extreme weather events that will have health impacts.

"Adverse effects of climate change on health are becoming clear as the scientific evidences are accumulated," said Professor Hae-kwan Cheong, one of the main authors.

Incidence of diseases is also on the rise in the Western Pacific Region, due predominantly to the possible expansion in the range of disease as a consequence of climate change.

Responding to climate change and health threats, the new report provides information, experiences and best practices in the Region. Seven countries were reviewed for country profiles including Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam. These countries were selected for geographical, environmental and sociological diversity.

In addition, the report provides an outline of policy actions and tools.

“Each country has its own unique social and cultural characteristics, and we've already recognized that the same policy is not valid for everyone. However, strong cooperation with other sectors is needed because one sector cannot solve this problem,” said Dr Susan Mercado, Director, Division of NCD and Health through the Life-Course.

The new report is expected to provide guidelines for the joint response of the global community related to climate change, especially in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

For further information, please contact:
Dr Nasir Hassan
Coordinator, Health and the Environment
Telephone: +63 2 528 8001
Email: hassanm@wpro.who.int

Mr Eloi Yao
Public Information Officer
Telephone: +63 2 528 9992
E-mail: yaoe@wpro.who.int

Mr Ruel E. Serrano
Public Information Office
Telephone: +632 528 9993
Email: serranor@wpro.who.int