At Ground Zero—Emergency Units in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries Building Resilience for Climate Change and Human Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Rublee ◽  
Corey Bills ◽  
Cecilia Sorensen ◽  
Jay Lemery ◽  
Emilie Calvello Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Ground Zero ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Building Resilience ◽  
Emergency Units ◽  
Low And Middle Income

The environment and health

2018 ◽  
pp. 44-48
Author(s):  
Nicholas Watts
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Modifiable environmental factors are at the centre of over 23% of global deaths every year. The impact on human health is projected to worsen substantially in the coming years, with the health of women and children, and those in low and middle-income countries, disproportionately undermined by many of these environmental determinants. Ninety-nine per cent of all climate change related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, and 80% of these occur in children. This chapter provides an overview of the interactions between environment and health, exploring the implications of degrading the quality of the air, water, food, and shelter that human wellbeing depends on. As we firmly enter the Anthropocene—a geological era defined by homo sapiens’ new-found ability to alter the planet’s ecosystems—this chapter will also consider the impacts of climate change on women’s and children’s health. Climate change, resulting in, among other things, rising sea levels and changing patterns of extreme weather events, has important social and demographic dimensions, results in direct and indirect health impacts, and exacerbates health inequalities. Tackling the effects that the environment and climate change have on human health will require more joined-up, cross-sectoral policymaking, for example considering the broader environmental and social consequences of agriculture or transport policies to maximise health benefits and minimise adverse effects.

scholarly journals The how tough is WASH framework for assessing the climate resilience of water and sanitation

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Howard ◽  
Anisha Nijhawan ◽  
Adrian Flint ◽  
Manish Baidya ◽  
Maria Pregnolato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Low And Middle Income

AbstractClimate change presents a major threat to water and sanitation services. There is an urgent need to understand and improve resilience, particularly in rural communities and small towns in low- and middle-income countries that already struggle to provide universal access to services and face increasing threats from climate change. To date, there is a lack of a simple framework to assess the resilience of water and sanitation services which hinders the development of strategies to improve services. An interdisciplinary team of engineers and environmental and social scientists were brought together to investigate the development of a resilience measurement framework for use in low- and middle-income countries. Six domains of interest were identified based on a literature review, expert opinion, and limited field assessments in two countries. A scoring system using a Likert scale is proposed to assess the resilience of services and allow analysis at local and national levels to support improvements in individual supplies, identifying systematic faults, and support prioritisation for action. This is a simple, multi-dimensional framework for assessing the resilience of rural and small-town water and sanitation services in LMICs. The framework is being further tested in Nepal and Ethiopia and future results will be reported on its application.

scholarly journals Challenges Affecting Health Referral Systems in Low-And Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-44
Author(s):  
Mildred Nakayuki ◽  
Annabella Basaza ◽  
Hasifah Namatovu
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Emergency Units ◽  
Impaired Health ◽  
Referral Systems ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Aims: Low and middle-income countries are still facing challenges of dysfunctional referral systems which have impaired health service provision. This review aimed at investigating these challenges to understand their nature, cause, and the impacts they have on health service provision. Methods: Database search was made in Google scholar, ACM Library, PubMed health, and BMC public health, and a total of 123 papers were generated. Only 14 fitted the inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included studies that were both quantitative and qualitative addressing challenges facing referral systems or health referral systems, studies describing the barriers to effective referral systems, and studies describing factors that affect referral systems. The review only included studies conducted in LMICs and included literature between January 2010 and February 2021. Findings: Results revealed that human resource and financial constraints, non-compliance, and communication are the key challenges affecting referral systems in LMICs. Recommendation: Countries that are facing these challenges need to overhaul the system and improve end-to-end communication between hospitals, improve capacity specifically in referral and emergency units, and sensitizing patients on the adherence to emergency protocols.

scholarly journals Challenges and considerations of applying nature-based solutions in low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex M. Lechner ◽  
Rachel L. Gomes ◽  
Lucelia Rodrigues ◽  
Matthew J. Ashfold ◽  
Sivathass Bannir Selvam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Ecological Restoration ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Rapid Pace ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Low- and middle-income countries in Southeast and East Asia face a range of challenges related to the rapid pace of urbanisation in the region, the scale of pollution, climate change, loss of ecosystem services and associated difficulties for ecological restoration. Possible pathways towards a more sustainable future lie in the applications of nature-based solutions (NBS). However, there is relatively little literature on the application of NBS in the region, particularly Southeast Asia. In this paper we address this gap by assessing the socio-ecological challenges to the application of NBS in the region – one of the most globally biodiverse. We first provide an overview and background on NBS and its underpinnings in biodiversity and ecosystem services. We then present a typology describing five unique challenges for the application of NBS in the region: (1) Characteristics of urbanisation; (2) Biophysical environmental and climatic context; (3) Environmental risks and challenges for restoration; (4) Human nature relationships and conflicts; and (5) Policy and governance context. Exploiting the opportunities through South-South and North-South collaboration to address the challenges of NBS in Southeast and East Asia needs to be a priority for government, planners and academics.

scholarly journals No fire without smoke (particles)

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M Holm ◽  
John Balmes
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Smoke Particles ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Pollution from landscape fires, which are increasing with climate change, leads to babies being born with lower birthweights in low- and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Climate change, climate-related disasters and mental disorder in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051908
Author(s):  
Isobel Sharpe ◽  
Colleen M Davison
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Scoping Reviews ◽  
Low And Middle Income

IntroductionClimate change and climate-related disasters adversely affect mental health. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and climate-related disasters and often lack adequate mental healthcare infrastructure. We used the scoping review methodology to determine how exposure to climate change and climate-related disasters influences the presence of mental disorders among those living in LMICs. We also aimed to recognise existing gaps in this area of literature.MethodsThis review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. To identify relevant studies, we searched five electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, APA PsycInfo and Sociological Abstracts) from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2019. We also searched the grey literature. Included studies had an adult-focused LMIC population, a climate change or climate-related disaster exposure and a mental disorder outcome. Relevant study information was extracted and synthesised.ResultsFifty-eight studies were identified, most of which (n=48) employed a cross-sectional design. The most commonly studied exposure–outcome combinations were flood-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n=28), flood-related depression (n=15) and storm-related PTSD (n=13). The majority of studies identified a positive exposure–outcome association. However, few studies included a baseline or comparator (ie, unexposed) group, thereby limiting our understanding of the magnitude or nature of this association. There was also great heterogeneity in this literature, making studies difficult to pool or compare. Several research gaps were identified including the lack of longitudinal studies and non-uniformity of geographic coverage.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this was the first scoping review to investigate the relationship between climate change and climate-related disaster exposures and mental disorder outcomes in LMICs. Our findings support the need for further research, but also highlight that mental health should be a priority within LMIC climate change policy considerations.

scholarly journals The effects on public health of climate change adaptation responses: a systematic review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 073001
Author(s):  
Pauline F D Scheelbeek ◽  
Alan D Dangour ◽  
Stephanie Jarmul ◽  
Grace Turner ◽  
Anne J Sietsma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income
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