In today’s swiftly changing global landscape, adaptability is crucial for a strong public health system. Being able to quickly adjust strategies, improve interventions, and allocate resources to address emerging health threats is essential.
Evidence-based interventions allow to foster this adaptability. A significant concern is the lack of understanding about the unintended consequences of climate control actions in certain European regions. As cities implement measures like open water defences and urban green space expansion to adapt to climate change, the potential impact on diseases carried by vectors remains unclear. To untangle this complexity, accurately measuring the effects of interventions through experiments and other methods is crucial.
« Climate change will increasingly create habitable climates for the transmission of infectious diseases. Mosquitoes, as vectors for arbovirus infections, are a threat to public health. Urban infrastructure interventions can be very effective for future-proofing cities in the face of climate change. »
One of the main objectives of the IDAlert project is to carry out these interventions in European cities. In collaboration with Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, the local public health agency in Barcelona, the IDAlert research team at Heidelberg University and Universitat Pompeu Fabra is introducing stormproof drains designed to reduce stagnant water bodies, eliminating mosquito breeding grounds.
Watch this video to discover how IDAlert is testing solutions to tackle the growing health threat linked to infectious diseases and climate change – with Aditi Bunker, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, and Tomas Montalvo, Head of Urban Pest Surveillance and Control Service, Agència de Salut Publica de Barcelona.
For more information about the IDAlert project go to their website.
