Climate and Health Desk
ACMAD Climate and Health Desk
A continental hub connecting climate science and public health action.
About the Desk
Hosted by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), the Africa Climate and Health Desk,is a flagship initiative advancing the use of climate intelligence in public health decision-making across Africa.It serves as a continental platform to strengthen collaboration between climate and health communities, support capacity development, co-produce climate services, and deliver operational early warnings for climate-sensitive health risks. By translating weather and climate information into actionable tools, the Desk helps bridge the gap between climate science and public health, enabling better disease prevention, health planning, and emergency preparedne
Our vision: The Africa Climate and Health Desk at ACMAD envisions a continent where climate
intelligence is systematically integrated into public health decision-making to protect
lives and well-being, strengthen health systems, and build resilient communities.
The Africa Climate and Health Desk focuses on the following priorities:
- Strengthening climate-informed health early warning systems (EWS):
Develop and deliver operational early warning information for climate-
sensitive health risks such as heat-related mortality and morbidity, vector-
borne diseases, and meningitis. - Case study research: Analyze extreme climate events to understand their
health impacts and enable rapid scientific assessments during—or even
before—climate-health crises - Building capacity and technical expertise: Providing specialized on-the-job
training and e-learning programmes to strengthen the technical skills of
National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and Ministries of
Health (MoH). - Strengthening collaboration and co-production: Jointly design climate
services with climate scientists and health experts for operational use.
The Africa Climate and Health Desk addresses key climate-sensitive health
risks, including:
- Heatwave Early Warning Systems – Developing early warning information
to reduce heat-related health impacts. - Meningitis Climate Risk Forecasting – Enhancing the Meningitis Early
Warning System (MEWS) with new data, improved climate forecasts and
validation processes. - Infectious Diseases – Supporting climate-informed monitoring of diseases
such as malaria and dengue. - Drought Monitoring and Forecasting – Providing real time drought
monitoring and advisories to support food security and malnutrition risk
planning. - Air Quality Monitoring – Supporting analysis of air pollution risks and their
impacts on public health. - Applied Research and Innovation – Using AI-based downscaling models to
produce high-resolution Impact based forecasts
Official Launch
The Africa Climate and Health Desk was officially launched on March 13th 2026, in the margin of the 20th African Continental Climate Outlook Forum (ACCOF 20).This initiative marks a milestone in addressing the urgent need for stronger connections between climate services and public health systems across Africa.