United Nations Radio

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the threat climate change is having on public health can no longer be ignored.

On this year's World Health Day, being marked today, WHO says extreme weather conditions such as floods, storms, droughts and heat waves, are putting pressure on public health services worldwide. Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva.

This year, the World Health Organization is focusing on the effects of climate change on public health. Addressing a news conference in Geneva, WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan said more than ever climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, diahorrea and malnutrition are claiming more lives around the world. Dr Chan says climate change is likely to lead to a public health crisis in developing countries:

Climate change is adding an additional set of stresses in areas that are already fragile, with marginal livelihoods and thin margins of survival. We must anticipate that current gaps in health outcomes will grow wider.

Dr Chan says WHO is stepping up its efforts to address the health challenges posed by climate change by ensuring countries have better systems for disease surveillance and forecasting, as well as strengthening basic health services to protect populations. Patrick Maigua, UN Radio, Geneva.

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