Executive Summary
Climate change is increasingly recognized as one of the greatest threats to global public health in the 21st century. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, floods, droughts, and extreme weather events are altering the distribution, seasonality, and intensity of climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, cholera, heat-related illnesses, and other vector-, water-, and food-borne diseases. Health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, often lack the capacity to anticipate, detect, and respond effectively to these climate-driven health risks.
This grant proposal seeks support to design and implement Climate-Sensitive Disease Surveillance Systems (CSDSS) that integrate health, climate, and environmental data to enable early warning, timely response, and evidence-based decision-making. The project will strengthen routine disease surveillance by incorporating climate indicators, geospatial analytics, and digital reporting tools, thereby enhancing preparedness and resilience of health systems.
Over a three-year period, the project will establish integrated surveillance platforms, build institutional and workforce capacity, and support multi-sectoral coordination between health, meteorological, and environmental agencies. The initiative aims to improve early detection of climate-sensitive disease outbreaks, reduce response time, and ultimately lower morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations.
Background and Rationale
Climate variability and long-term climate change have profound impacts on human health. Temperature, humidity, rainfall, and extreme weather events influence disease transmission dynamics, vector ecology, pathogen survival, and human exposure patterns. For example, warmer temperatures can expand mosquito habitats, increased rainfall can trigger outbreaks of water-borne diseases, and heatwaves can exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.
Traditional disease surveillance systems are largely reactive, focusing on reporting cases after outbreaks occur. These systems often operate in isolation from climate and environmental monitoring, limiting their ability to predict and prevent climate-related health risks. As climate impacts intensify, there is an urgent need to transition from reactive surveillance to proactive, predictive, and climate-informed health systems.
Global frameworks, including the World Health Organization’s Operational Framework for Climate-Resilient Health Systems and the Global Health Security Agenda, emphasize the integration of climate information into health surveillance and early warning systems. This project aligns with these priorities by strengthening national and sub-national capacity to monitor, analyze, and respond to climate-sensitive diseases.
Problem Statement
Health systems in many regions face the following challenges in addressing climate-sensitive diseases:
- Limited integration of climate and environmental data into disease surveillance
- Weak early warning and outbreak prediction capabilities
- Fragmented data systems across health, meteorological, and environmental sectors
- Delayed reporting and response to disease outbreaks
- Insufficient technical capacity for data analysis and geospatial modeling
- High vulnerability of marginalized populations to climate-related health risks
Without climate-sensitive surveillance, disease outbreaks are detected late, response efforts are less effective, and preventable illness and deaths continue to occur. Strengthening surveillance systems to account for climate risks is essential for protecting public health in a changing climate.
Project Goal and Objectives
Overall Goal
To strengthen health system resilience by establishing climate-sensitive disease surveillance systems that enable early detection, prediction, and response to climate-related health risks.
Specific Objectives
- To integrate climate, environmental, and health data into routine disease surveillance systems.
- To develop early warning tools for priority climate-sensitive diseases.
- To strengthen institutional and workforce capacity for climate-informed health surveillance.
- To enhance multi-sectoral coordination between health, climate, and disaster management agencies.
- To improve timely response and risk communication for vulnerable populations.
Target Diseases and Populations
The project will focus on priority climate-sensitive diseases, which may include:
- Vector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika)
- Water-borne diseases (cholera, typhoid, diarrheal diseases)
- Heat-related illnesses and respiratory conditions
Primary beneficiaries include populations living in climate-vulnerable areas such as flood-prone regions, urban informal settlements, coastal zones, and drought-affected communities. Health workers, surveillance officers, and policymakers will also benefit from strengthened data systems and decision-support tools.
Project Approach and Key Components
- Integration of Climate and Health Data
- The project will establish interoperable platforms that link routine disease surveillance data with climate and environmental indicators such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, and vegetation indices. Data will be sourced from health facilities, laboratories, meteorological services, and satellite-based systems.
- Digital Surveillance and Reporting Systems
- Digital tools will be introduced to improve real-time disease reporting at facility and community levels. Mobile and web-based applications will enable timely data entry, validation, and visualization, reducing delays and improving data quality.
- Early Warning and Predictive Analytics
- Using historical disease and climate data, the project will develop predictive models and risk maps to identify potential outbreak hotspots. These tools will support early warning alerts and guide targeted preparedness and response actions.
- Capacity Building and Workforce Development
- Training programs will be conducted for health surveillance officers, epidemiologists, data analysts, and decision-makers on climate-health linkages, data analysis, geospatial tools, and interpretation of early warning signals.
- Multi-Sectoral Coordination and Governance
- The project will strengthen coordination mechanisms between ministries of health, meteorology, environment, agriculture, and disaster management. Joint protocols for data sharing, outbreak response, and risk communication will be developed and operationalized.
Community Engagement and Risk Communication
Community-level engagement will be central to the project’s success. Early warning information will be translated into actionable messages for communities, health workers, and local authorities. Communication strategies will be tailored to local contexts and delivered through trusted channels, including community health workers, radio, and mobile messaging.
Implementation Plan and Timeline
The project will be implemented over three years:
- Year 1: Situational analysis, system design, data integration, pilot testing
- Year 2: Scale-up of digital surveillance tools, capacity building, early warning model development
- Year 3: System optimization, institutionalization, policy integration, impact evaluation
Expected Outcomes and Impact
- Improved early detection and prediction of climate-sensitive disease outbreaks
- Reduced outbreak response time and improved preparedness
- Enhanced capacity of health systems to manage climate-related health risks
- Strengthened collaboration across health, climate, and disaster sectors
- Reduced morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
A comprehensive MEL framework will monitor system performance, data quality, timeliness of reporting, and effectiveness of early warning and response actions. Learning reviews and stakeholder consultations will inform continuous system improvement.
Sustainability and Scalability
Sustainability will be ensured by embedding climate-sensitive surveillance within existing national health information systems and policies. Capacity building, government ownership, and use of open-source technologies will support long-term operation and scalability to additional regions and diseases.
Risk Analysis and Mitigation
Key risks include data gaps, limited technical capacity, and coordination challenges. Mitigation strategies include phased implementation, continuous training, strong governance frameworks, and formal data-sharing agreements.
Budget Overview (Indicative)
The indicative budget will cover system development, data integration, capacity building, technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation, and project management. A detailed budget will be developed in accordance with donor requirements.
Conclusion
Climate-sensitive disease surveillance systems are essential for protecting public health in an era of climate change. By integrating climate intelligence into health surveillance and decision-making, this project will enable proactive, timely, and effective responses to emerging health threats. Grant support for this initiative will contribute to resilient health systems, reduced disease burden, and safer, healthier communities.
