August 14, 2006slide 1 GEO and Health 8th Brazilian Congress on Collective Health 11th World...

August 14, 2006 slide 1

GEO and Health

8th Brazilian Congress on Collective Health 11th World Congress on Public Health

Dr. Brendan P. KellyGEO Secretariat


Outline• GEO approach to the Societal Benefit Area of Health

– (As Dr. Spinrad has mentioned, the role of Earth Observations in the area of Health has not been fully established…therefore the GEO approach is to co-ordinate demonstration projects which will increase awareness of importance of EO)

• Describe current GEO Health activities and give examples of major on-going demonstration projects– Health and Climate Partership for Africa– US-Europe collaboration on Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Health – Air Quality and Health Community of Practise (Also one for Water…)

• Outline future plans - present opportunities for increased engagement and timelines for potential involvement (for countries already in GEO and new members)


Demonstration projects in the GEO 2006 Work Plan (Example 1)

HEALTH-06-03: … integrating Earth observations, health and epidemiological as well as socio-economic data. … use of advanced … ensemble forecasting methods to … predictability of major health hazards ….

Two major projects…


Health and Climate Partnership for Africa

…Using Meteorological Information to

Mitigate Health Epidemics


The Partnership

• World Health Organization

• International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

• Centre de Recherche Médicale et Sanitaire (CERMES), Niger

• National Meteorological and Hydrological Services

• African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), Niger

• AGRHYMET Regional Centre, Niger

• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), UK

• Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, France

• Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK

• Météo France, France • National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA), USA• University of Liverpool, UK• US Environmental Protection Agency

• WHO Multi Disease Surveillance Centre (MDSC), Burkina Faso (Overall Coordination and Health Component)

• International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), USA (Partnership Facilitator)

• World Meteorological Organization (Meteorological Coordination)


The Partnership Aims To:• Strengthen the cooperation between health and meteorological

services at both the national and international levels– To reduce the risk of epidemic diseases in the Sahel;– To improve routine rural and urban health care for weather- and

climate sensitive diseases;– To increase capacity in the operational/research weather, climate

and health communities to serve national development agendas through reduction in risk associated with weather- and climate-related health hazards.


Organizational and Operational Activities

• Establish a Community of Practice to engage local communities in the partnership

• Develop Implementation Plan

• Review existing Health- weather/climate relationships for West Africa to determine social impact of providing more timely warnings of epidemics

Gary Foley,US EPA



• Develop training materials for health and meteorological communities

• Identify the needs of operational public health community in West Africa for weather and climate information

• Establish a health requirements process

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Algeria

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

Mauritania

Cameroon

Ghana

Guinea

Ivory Coast

Senegal

Burkina Faso

Benin

Western Sahara

Liberia

TogoSierra Leone

Guinea-Bissau

Equatorial Guinea

Gambia, The



• Determine the adequacy of the current institutional mechanisms: – To deliver health-

climate information to decision-makers;

– To deliver information to the public; and

– To share information between the climate and health communities

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Limites climatiques de la zone d’épidémies de paludisme



• Review the adequacy of current early warning system for food security and investigate opportunities for synergy between this system and a health early warning system


Research and Development Activities• Partnership will focus on Malaria, Meningitis and other climate

sensitive diseases (e.g. Cholera)– Emphasis on detection and prevention– Better understanding of relationship between near real-time

observed environmental parameters and health outcomes

NonhyperendemicHyperendemic: LSTmx:31.5-34.5°C & Dist riv<=2km & Elevation:700-1150m50

km0

Fanjasoa RAKOTOMANANAFanjasoa RAKOTOMANANA


• World Population at risk: 2 to 3 billions• Human Mortality per yr: 3.5 to 4.5 millions

with ½ under 5 yrs (~ 5 millions due to AIDS)• Animal Mortality per yr: 10 to 15 millions

High Risk of Re-emergence of Infectious DiseasesSome in connection with El Niño/La Niña events

Dengue

Meningitus

Choléra

© 2002


Relative Positions of the « Meningitis Belt » and Inter-tropical Convergence Zone(July and January)

© 2002


Demonstration projects in the GEO 2006 Work Plan (Example 2)

Ecosystem services, Biodiversity and Human health

Research Theme:• US EPA will host an interdisciplinary workshop in September 2006 on

biodiversity and human health to discuss the state of the science, refine research priorities, and begin discussions on how to integrate existing data into a monitoring and risk-forecasting network mitigate risks of human disease and threats to biodiversity around the world.

• International co-ordination provided through GEO to facilitate parallel research activities within Europe/Africa…and ultimately, if possible, South America, Asia, Australia…Contact me for more information


Why link ecosystems, biodiversity and health?

(World Health Organisation: M.E.A.)


Demonstration projects in the GEO 2006 Work Plan (Example 3): Air Quality & Health

Community of PracticeThe PublicPublic Officials

Gary Foley, US EPA


Impacts of Poor Air Quality on Society – US Estimates

• 60,000 deaths per annum (mean) [Science 289, 2000]

• $143 billion per annum (mean) [American Lung Association, 2001]


The Atmospheric Observation Community

• Ground-based AQ monitoring networks

• Satellite measurements

• Groups working on "fusion of data"

• Researchers developing new observation methodologies


The Operational Forecasting Community

• Air Quality forecasters

• Atmospheric & AQ model developers


The Air Quality Managers

• Air Quality Index operations

• Air Quality regulatory officials

• Regulated industrial groups

• Traffic planning & management groups

• Forest & agricultural fire management officials

• AQ management decision support tool developers


The Public Health Officials

• Public Health outcome officials

• Epidemiologists

• Hospital & Emergency Room management groups

• Asthma, birth defect and cardiovascular disease researchers


The Hazard Alerting Community

• Air Quality Index operations

• Public Health outcome officials

• Wireless & internet service providers

• The media

Proposed new GEO Workplan Items

• HE-07-P1: Strengthen observation and information systems for health

• HE-07-P2: Environment and health monitoring and modelling

• HE-07-P3: Integrated atmospheric pollution monitoring, modelling and forecasting


Need for global and national systems

• Need for effective and coordinated national and global surveillance systems that can:

– track, monitor the spread of diseases across communities and across geo-political borders

– guide the planning and targeting of response, containment and control measures to areas most at risk

– support risk assessment and preparedness activities.


Example: Avian influenza-

Early detection, response and containment

• Assessing and tracking the risk and spread of the disease across communities and borders

• Epidemiological mapping of cases in humans in relation to risk factors

• Mapping risk factors (poultry densities, flight routes of migratory birds, swamps, wetlands, etc.) and relationships in time and place

• Identifying countries at risk of importation of the virus

• Pinpointing areas where surveillance should be intensified and identifying populations at great risk of exposure

• Identifying health services, labs, schools, workplaces to support targeting of drugs, equipment, surge capacity


Key future areas are highlighting the importance of the integration of Socio-economic data with EO and Health data...


…and the Fostering of Improvement of Models and Implementation of Forecasting Systems


African dust affecting air quality in Europe (30 October 2001) (after Scientific American: Global Transport of Dust, 2002)

Dust particles carry micro-organisms to Central America, possibly triggering disease outbreaks (after SeaWifs imagery, 26 Feb, 2000)


GEO Workplan Timeline• 2007-2009 draft workplan is under official review by

member governments• Final workplan to be ratified at GEO plenary meeting

at end of November, 2006 • Members choose which tasks they wish to lead, or

contribute to…• If you would like more information on the GEO health

workplan and about how to get involved, contact me at

[email protected]

August 14, 2006slide 1 GEO and Health 8th Brazilian Congress on Collective Health 11th World...

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