The changing climate and the changing malaria, the double health challenge

Abstract

Global climate change coupled with the burden of malaria present incapacitating challenge in the health sector. There is increasing body of evidence of the profound impact of climate change on the health status of individuals particularly among people in developing countries. The impacts of climate change are well-defined on vector borne diseases which affect various health care policies and interventions aimed to address and improve human health. Malaria, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in resource poor countries, is a climate sensitive disease. An understanding of the influence of climate change on malaria dynamics and epidemiology is a fundamental component in assessing the changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of human risk for the disease. This review presents evidence of the profound and projected impacts of climate change on malaria, the dynamic change and burden of malaria epidemiology and the close climate-malaria interactions.