The west African country of Cote d'Ivoire, with both sea coast and inlands,
has a rich heritage. However, changes in climate are making it more vulnerable to
infectious diseases like malaria and bilharzia. One research project underway could have a big impact.
The study is coordinated by the World Health Organization's tropical disease
research program called TDR, in partnership with Canada's International Development Research Centre.
"I think the main issue we are facing here in Africa is that the environmental changes seem to become more rapid, and so the capacity of the
countries, the people, to adapt to that change is one of the biggest issues.
Investigators from the Swiss Center for Scientific Research in Cote d'Ivoire and the
University of Nouakchott in Mauritania are overseeing teams for a multi-dimensional
look at the problems. They're counting the numbers of mosquitoes and snails,
measuring the lower water levels and quality, the changing temperatures, and how waste is managed.
"If we do have more appropriate data, we would be able to make some survey to
know where are we going in the future. What will be the appropriate care?
How will we be able to involve those kinds of information in our
system, the Ivory Coast Medicare system? We do need that information.
This variability in rainfall is keenly felt by those living here. It means that your water will be affected. Your nutrition will be affected.
Your food production will be affected.We are really working on concrete problems.
The problem is similar in the community gardens where the well levels are much lower.
This Korhogo truck driver usually transports corn, potatoes and other vegetables, but a
drier than normal season has also dried up his business.
"If we also want to come out with change for our communities,
we also need to understand how the communities themselves perceive the disease, how they understand the disease causes.
Community focus groups are led by social scientists to better understand perceptions, and to work with them to develop solutions.
With understanding on how mosquitos breed in standing water,
the women in this focus group have asked for more help in how to reduce their family’s risk of being bitten and getting malaria.
These preventive aspects will be even more important in the future, because this
research team is finding that climate change may increase the risk of these diseases.
By working closely with the communities, this study offers a new model of the complicated climate change issues that
touch on water, temperature, sanitation, behavior and disease.