LSHTM researchers,  Professor Chris Drakeley,  Dr. Rachel Lowe and Isabel Byrne from the Malaria Centre and the Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health (CCCPH), are part of the World Health Organization’s Task Team on Climate Change, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and Malaria, in partnership with Reaching the Last Mile (RLM). 

A scoping review, published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, explores the effects of climate change on malaria and 20 NTDs, and potential mitigation and adaptation strategies. Analysing 42,693 articles, the review reveals insufficient understanding of the actual and potential impacts of human-induced climate changes on malaria and NTDs. 

The review identified significant research gaps regarding the influence of climate change on diseases other than malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. Too often, research has focused on low-disease burden countries with high-quality healthcare, perpetuating a lack of comprehensive understanding. 

This represents a growing emergency for historically underserved communities that continue to be overlooked at the intersection of climate and these diseases. The poorest populations, already disproportionately affected by malaria and NTDs, are likely to experience even greater hardships. 

Isabel Byrne, a Research Fellow and a member of both the Malaria Centre and CCCPH, stated: “The impact of climate change on global health is increasingly evident, with profound implications for malaria and NTDs. This major WHO review has revealed enormous gaps in our understanding of how our rapidly changing climate will affect these diseases - or how to best mitigate and prevent them.” 

The review calls for a greater research focus on mitigation and adaptation strategies to safeguard global health gains against NTDs and malaria and urges that the research agenda be reimagined soon, driven by scientists from populations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. 

Publication 

Klepac P, Hsieh JL, Ducker CL, Assoum M, Booth M, Byrne I, Dodson S, Martin DL, Turner CMR, van Daalen KR, Abela B, Akamboe J, Alves F, Brooker SJ, Ciceri-Reynolds K, Cole J, Desjardins A, Drakeley C, Ediriweera DS, Ferguson NM, Gabrielli AF, Gahir J, Jain S, John MR, Juma E, Kanayson P, Deribe K, King JD, Kipingu AM, Kiware S, Kolaczinski J, Kulei WJ, Laizer TL, Lal V, Lowe R, Maige JS, Mayer S, McIver L, Mosser JF, Nicholls RS, Nunes-Alves C, Panjwani J, Parameswaran N, Polson K, Radoykova HS, Ramani A, Reimer LJ, Reynolds ZM, Ribeiro I, Robb A, Sanikullah KH, Smith DRM, Shirima GG, Shott JP, Tidman R, Tribe L, Turner J, Vaz Nery S, Velayudhan R, Warusavithana S, Wheeler HS, Yajima A, Abdilleh AR, Hounkpatin B, Wangmo D, Whitty CJM, Campbell-Lendrum D, Hollingsworth TD, Solomon AW, Fall IS. Climate change, malaria and neglected tropical diseases: a scoping review. The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2024