Environmental health practitioners potentially play a key role in helping communities adapt to climate change
- Authors: Shezi, Busisiwe , Mathee, Angela , Siziba, Wellington , Street, Renée A. , Naicker, Nisha , Kunene, Zamantimande , Wright, Caradee Y.
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Climate change , Environmental health , South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/397373 , uj:33026 , Citation: Shezi, B. et al. 2019. Environmental health practitioners potentially play a key role in helping communities adapt to climate change. BMC Public Health (2019) 19:54 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6378-5
- Description: Abstract: Background: Vulnerable population groups in South Africa, especially those living in poverty, young children, women, the elderly and people with pre-existing diseases, are susceptible to new or exacerbated health threats resulting from climate change. Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) can play an important role in helping communities adapt to climate change health impacts, however, effective coordination of this requires further understanding of their roles in implementing climate change-related adaptation actions in communities. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling was undertaken at the January 2017 conference for EHPs hosted by the South African Institute of Environmental Health in Cape Town. All EHPs who attended the conference were invited to complete a study questionnaire that requested information on participant demographics, as well as climate change related-knowledge, practices and perceptions. Results: Majority of participating EHPs (n = 48; 72.8%) had received formal or informal training on climate change and health. Thirty-nine percent of EHPs indicated that they had a climate change and health-related committee / working group in their department, a policy or strategy (41.0%) and budget allocated for climate change and health-related work (51.5%). A total of 33.3% had participated in climate change-related projects. Majority (62.2%) of EHPs believed that they should play a supportive role in addressing climate change while 37.8% believed that EHPs should play a leading role. Conclusions: Recognising the need for raising awareness about climate change adaptation as well as implementing appropriate interventions to combat climate-related ill health effects, especially among vulnerable groups, EHPs are wellplaced to adopt significant roles in helping communities to adapt to climate change.
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National Health Insurance and climate change : planning for South Africa’s future
- Authors: Wright, Caradee Y. , Chersich, Matthew , Mathee, Angela
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Weather , Environmental health , prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/398849 , uj:33222 , Citation: Wright, C.Y., Chersich, M. & Mathee, A. 2019. National Health Insurance and climate change : planning for South Africa’s future. S Afr J Sci. 2019;115(9/10), Art. #5800, 3 pages. https://doi. org/10.17159/sajs.2019/5800
- Description: Abstract: In South Africa we have witnessed a gripping drought in the Western Cape, devastating heavy rains, fires, flooding and strong winds caused by an upper-air cut-off low in October 2017 in Durban,1 and regular heatwave and fire risk warnings in several provinces. One foremost cause of weather-related deaths is heat (leading to heatstroke), which is on the rise as towns and cities across South Africa shatter record all-time high temperatures year-on-year.2 In January 2016, for example, the North-West Health Department reported that 11 people (aged 22–58 years) died over a period of 48 h in the province from heatstroke.3 Deaths among groups such as the elderly, those with chronic disease and infants rise during heatwaves. These deaths may not be directly related to ‘heat shock’, but to the additional physiological stress associated with high heat. While there is some uncertainty as to whether these weather events are linked to climate change, the increase in heat levels generally, extreme weather events and current climate predictions for warming temperatures are strongly indicative that this is the case.
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