Weather and Climate Information for Health Applications: From Forecasts to Early Action
Introduction When people think about weather forecasts, they often associate them with deciding whether to carry an umbrella, plan a journey, or prepare for a storm. However, weather and climate information serves a much broader purpose. Increasingly, it has become an indispensable tool for protecting public health. Temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, and other meteorological variables influence the occurrence and spread of many diseases. Heatwaves can lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, prolonged rainfall may trigger outbreaks of water-borne diseases, while warm and humid conditions create favorable environments for mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as dengue and malaria. Droughts, on the other hand, can affect food security, nutrition, and access to safe drinking water. As climate variability and climate change increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, integrating weather and climate information into health decision-making has become more important ...