Submission ID 130471
| Issue/Objective | Climate change is exacerbating water- and vector-borne diseases, including diarrhea, malaria, dengue, and chikungunya, particularly in low-resource settings such as Ethiopia and South Africa, where infrastructural and health system constraints intensify vulnerability. Addressing these complex risks requires a One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental interfaces. However, limited evidence exists on how communities, local leaders, and decision-makers understand and operationalize such approaches. |
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| Methodology/Approach | This study explored climate change-related water-associated diseases, citizen perspectives, and insights from local leaders and decision-makers on the intervention barriers from a One Health perspective, which directly aligns with sub-theme 3. It is a qualitative study that was conducted in Ethiopia and South Africa from January 2025 to March 2025. Data were collected through focus group discussions among community members, official key informant interviews, and participatory workshops with professionals from the health, environmental, and animal sectors. Thematic analysis, guided by the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework, was employed to examine climate-related risks and response gaps. |
| Results | Diarrhea, cholera, malaria, chikungunya, and dengue are major health concerns in Ethiopia, while diarrhea and skin irritation are named most often in South Africa when asked about water-related health concerns. Climate variability, rapid urbanization, and population growth are the main causes of informal or unplanned settlements and infrastructure deficits. These drivers created pressures such as poor waste management and unregulated human-animal interactions, increasing disease risk. In Ethiopia, the research process seems to highlight a limited understanding of disease transmission mechanisms from a One Health perspective, particularly the interconnections between climate, environmental conditions, animal health, and human outcomes, which undermines effective response. In Ethiopia, responses were largely reactive and fragmented, indicating the need for integrated One Health approaches. However, in the South African context, citizens highlighted environmental-animal-human connections as key drivers of their concerns, among many others, indicating that One Health approaches may be easily understood in some unplanned South African settlements. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | The finding emphasizes the need to strengthen community-centered and multi-sectoral One Health implementation, improve risk communication on transmission pathways, and enhance cross-sector collaboration. These insights provide practical guidance for designing context-specific climate-resilient health systems in low-resource settings. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Amber Abrams University of Cape Town Abraham Gawo Haramaya University Yohannes Mulugeta Haramaya University Dinku Mekbib Haramaya University Maxine Jonker University of Cape Town Anisha Nijhwan University of Bristol Guy Howard University of Bristol Josephine Walker University of Bristol Abraham Gawo Haramaya University |
