Thuan Nguyen5th International Conference Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change

March 2011 I Dhaka

Health Risk Management in a Changing Climate:

An operational research project on community-based dengue fever

prevention in Vietnam

Climate change, together with other drivers might alter the pattern of dengue fever. But we do not know how

Ø How do we communicate messages of changing risks, CC- dengue fever to communities?

Ø How do we strengthen Vietnam Red Cross – Ministry of Health partnership in climate sensitive diseases?

Dengue fever risk factors

Health risk management in changing climate project

Objective: To reduce the impacts of climate change in health issues in selected communitiesTimeframe: 2010-2011

Same project also implemented in Jakarta, Indonesia

Donor: Rockefeller Foundation through Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

Grant also supporting CC and health work with Kenya and Tanzania Red Cross

Community survey

Aims: - Identify baseline knowledge, attitudes

and practices with regards to dengue- Identify baseline perceptions of

climate change and the links to healthMethod:

- In depth interviews and focus groups- Quantitative survey: 400

Will CC affects DF? If yes/maybe, how?

How will climate change affect your family?

Next stepsØ Design and test behaviour change communication materials

When communicating on dengue fever - does the addition of CC messages:

- Make people confused and less able to retain dengue fever messages?

OR- Reinforce the importance of dengue fever prevention?

What do communities do in the project?

Pre and post community

surveys Test BCC materials

Local campaigns

Control vector

breedingSharing local

knowledge in CC

COMMUNITY

Strengthening VNRC-MOH collaboration

§ Map current collaboration mechanism § Ensure sharing of information and

operational planning mechanism works to address changing risks due to climate change

National: policy making, providing

guidelines

Provincial/district: implementation of control, treatment

Community level: prevention,

outbreak control

National structure for Dengue Fever

Ministry of Health

Provincial/district Department of Health

CommunalHealth Station

VNRC Headquarter

Provincial/DistrictVNRC Chapter

Red Cross staffs,volunteers

Steering Committee

Steering Committee

Steering Committee

RC supporting national structure for DF/infectious diseases prevention

03 take-home messages

§ The need for communication of changing risks to community§ CBO can ensure that early detection

quickly translated into early response§ Strengthening existing mechanism

VNRC-MOH to complement both top-down and bottom-up model.

www.redcross.org.vnwww.ifrc.org

www.climatecentre.org

Thank you!

Health

WHO, other UN agencies

Research agencies

NGOs

Media

People’s committee

Education

Communities