Reducing Climate-Sensitive Disease Risks

A discussion paper produced by the Agriculture and Environmental Services Department of the World Bank.

“This study focuses on livestock diseases that are “sensitive” to climate change, with a view to help practitioners reduce the risks of key climate-sensitive infectious diseases by strengthening risk management systems for disease outbreaks.
The three diseases chosen for the study—Rift Valley fever, Bluetongue, and East Coast fever—spread through “vectors” such as insects and parasites, the prevalence of which fluctuates depending on key weather and climate variables such as temperature and humidity. As the symptoms of climate change continue, the frequency and extent of these diseases are expected to escalate.” Dr. Juergen Voegele [SOURCE: World Bank, April 2014]