T.N. to set up facility to address health challenges in the face of climate change

The  ‘One Health and Climate Hub’ will conduct comprehensive studies to map health risks and diseases exacerbated by climate change and work on developing predictive models using AI to assess future disease trends based on climate scenarios

The Tamil Nadu government will set up a ‘One Health and Climate Hub’ at the Department of Health and Family Welfare to address the interconnected challenges of human, animal, and environmental health in the face of climate change. Among its various activities, the hub will conduct comprehensive studies to map health risks and diseases exacerbated by climate change and work on developing predictive models using artificial intelligence (AI) to assess future disease trends based on climate scenarios.

The hub, which will be chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, will reflect the State’s commitment to create a resilient healthcare system equipped to address the impacts of climate variability and environmental degradation.

According to the World Health Organization, the ‘One Health’ approach is an integrated and unifying framework that aims to balance and optimise the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. Recognising the growing threats posed by zoonotic diseases, vector-borne illnesses, antimicrobial resistance, biodiversity loss, and climate change, ‘One Health’ emphasises collaborative efforts across sectors such as public health, veterinary medicine, and environmental sciences, a press release said.

Tamil Nadu faces challenges such as rising temperatures, zoonotic outbreaks, vector-borne diseases, coastal vulnerabilities, and biodiversity loss, demanding an integrated and proactive approach to safeguard the health of communities, particularly vulnerable populations such as those in tribal, coastal, and high-risk areas.

Proposed activities

The ‘One Health and Climate Hub’ will develop integrated strategies by formulating policies and action plans to address health risks from climate change, focusing on vulnerable communities and establishing robust State-wide surveillance and data systems to monitor climate-sensitive diseases and develop early warning mechanisms.

The hub will foster coordination between departments such as health, animal husbandry, environment and forest, and disaster management to strengthen data management and organise training programmes/workshops on ‘One Health’ for healthcare workers, veterinarians, and environmental experts.

For green healthcare infrastructure, it will also retrofit hospitals with climate-resilient measures, such as solar panels and energy-efficient systems. It will collaborate with expert agencies to create frameworks to handle challenges of antimicrobial resistance. The hub will collaborate with healthcare experts, research institutions, and epidemiologists to analyse historical data on disease outbreaks and correlate them with climate events. It will create and update a State-level database to track climate-sensitive diseases.

Under this, a One Health and Climate Change Centre will be set up at the State-level. This system will ensure real-time data collection, analysis, and reporting to track the incidence of diseases exacerbated by climate change such as zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, heat stress, and respiratory illnesses. The move will enhance Tamil Nadu’s preparedness for emerging health risks, strengthen resilience, and promote sustainable health systems. By fostering innovation, collaboration and action, the hub is set to become a model for integrated health and climate strategies in India, the release said.

Published - November 22, 2024 08:59 pm IST