From the Editor
Breaking News: The ENSO forecast
Recent IRI and WMO forecasts point to a higher than normal probability (56%) of an El Niño event developing this year.
The magnitude of this event is still not clear but it is necessary to develop an action strategy to help manage the potential risks and reduce impacts, both globally and at a regional level. Previous El Niño have been associated with negative global climatic and socio-economic impacts, including public health impacts in specific locations.
Seasonal forecasting methods and information can be used to far greater effect by the health sector. For example the beginning and progression of El Niño can now be forecast months ahead, and can give a timely seasonal indicator of malaria risk. In this context El Niño provides opportunities for early warning and could be uses as an indicator to strengthen the role of the Ministry of Health in disaster preparedness programs as well as in disease surveillance and monitoring.
Please find more information at: http://iri.columbia.edu/climate/enso/docs/health1.pdf
The 2009 Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health
Knowledge sharing it the objective of this newsletter as is the need to support emerging networks of health and climate practitioners. In his recent address to the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama also underlined the need to create a “network of networks” to maximize the varied (public health) opportunities that may arise for furthered environmental sciences. We believe the Summer Institute for Climate Information for Public Health is a valuable platform for creating a global network of practitioners focused on policy and practice in public health and climate issues.
Building on the response of our 2008 Summer Institute alumni, and in order to continue to bridge the existing gap in providing climate information to the public health community, the IRI and its partners (Mailman School of Public Health and CIESIN) designed and implemented the second annual Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health (SI 09).
This year, 12 professionals from ten countries in the Americas, Europe and Africa were selected out of the 43 applicants to participate in SI 09 (see Updates). Participants hailed from Ethiopia (3), Kenya (1), Madagascar (1), Mali (1), Ghana (1), the United Kingdom (1), Sweden (1), Ecuador (1), Canada (1) and the United States (1).
All trainees were professionals who play a key role in decision-making for health-care planning, evaluation or control of climate-sensitive dis¬eases or climatic threats to public health (e.g. flooding). The evaluation of the course highlighted the existing gap in providing climate information to the public health community and the need to lead the public health community to the relevant sources and uses of climate information. SI 09 evaluation also indicated that this training was perceived as a comprehensive experience by all the participants (trainees, facilitators, organizers), who showed consistent enthusiasm and a high degree of commitment throughout the course. Click here to access the summary of SI 09.
The editorial board of Climate Information for Public Health Action (CIPHA) is now delighted to welcome the 12 SI 09 trainees to join the community of the SI alumni who contribute news items and participate in the dissemination of CIPHA. This newsletter provides updates on the latest developments within the CIPHA network including alumni or facilitators’ activities, brief meeting reports, news from the health and climate community as well as opportunities for collaboration and funding.
