From Awareness to Action: Empowering Communities to End Tropical Diseases in the Era of Climate Change

Overview

Climate change is a critical global health challenge, profoundly impacting the spread and control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns are undermining decades of progress in combating these diseases. Tropical regions bear the greatest burden, as climate change intensifies the prevalence and transmission of vector-borne NTDs.

Each year, on January 30th, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners commemorate World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day. This year’s theme is Unite. Act. Eliminate., calls for collective action from all stakeholders to end NTDs. For the World to truly UNITE and BEAT NTDs, communities especially those affected more are critical. Raising awareness is the first step toward mobilizing communities to eliminate NTDs, especially in the face of climate change where the burden is even huge and affected populations becoming more inaccessible with infrastructures and their facilities damaged. On this important day (World NTDs Day) we are UNITING with the Global community against NTDs emphasizing the importance of empowering communities with the knowledge and equipping them with resources to respond and adapt. This is even more crucial as we are facing a very unprecedented situation in global health financing putting more communities in jeopardy. 

Climate Change and the Growing Burden of Tropical Diseases

NTDs represent a diverse group of bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases that primarily affect tropical regions. More than 1.5 billion people globally suffer from NTDs, often trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and disease. 

Climate change has been directly linked to shifts in disease transmission and distribution. Variations in temperature, humidity, and rainfall affect the survival and spread of disease vectors such as mosquitoes, flies, and snails. As a result, NTDs are emerging in previously unaffected areas, while some previously controlled diseases are resurging. Sadly, these areas are already severely hit with poverty and other diseases hence climate change exacerbating the situation. 

Vector Borne Diseases such as NTDs are particularly influenced by climate fluctuations. In Tanzania, for example, dengue cases nearly quadrupled between 2014 and 2018, largely due to climatic conditions favoring mosquito breeding and survival.

The Role of Awareness in Climate-Resilient Health Strategies

Raising awareness is fundamental to fostering climate-resilient health strategies. An informed public is better equipped to take action in mitigating and adapting to the health impacts of climate change. Advocacy efforts should focus on:

• Highlighting the connection between climate change and NTDs to inform local and global health responses.
• Educating communities on disease prevention and adaptation strategies, enabling them to develop localized solutions.
• Strengthening early warning systems to enhance preparedness and response to climate-related disease outbreaks.

Amplify Health and Development in Africa (AHDA) has made significant strides in advocacy, evidence-based communication, and storytelling to raise awareness of climate-health actions. Through initiatives like Jamii Shupavu (Strong Communities), AHDA collaborates with governments, NGOs, and global partners to promote community-driven solutions for climate adaptation and NTD control.

Empowering Communities: A Climate-Resilient Approach to NTDs

Sustainable, community-led solutions are essential to combating the impact of climate change on NTDs. AHDA actively engages local communities by implementing strategies such as:

• Training local health workers to respond to shifts in disease burden and distribution.
• Promoting sustainable environmental practices to reduce vector breeding grounds.
• Strengthening healthcare infrastructure in high-burden regions to improve access to treatment and prevention measures.

Policymakers in countries with a high NTD burden must integrate NTD elimination strategies into climate adaptation plans. This ensures that communities are equipped with sustainable, climate-resilient disease control approaches.

A Call to Action

The intersection of climate change and NTDs presents a global health emergency requiring immediate and coordinated action. International stakeholders, national governments, local partners, and communities must work together to implement sustainable solutions through:

• Collaboration between governments, NGOs, and the private sector.
• Community empowerment through education, training, and local engagement.
• Investment in climate-resilient health systems and infrastructure to strengthen disease surveillance and response.
• Encouraging innovation in vector control, diagnostics, and treatment strategies.

By transforming awareness into concrete actions, we can build resilient communities capable of tackling the growing burden of NTDs in an era of climate change. The time to act is now—Unite. Act. Eliminate.