As climate change intensifies, Uganda is experiencing severe health consequences, including floods, droughts, and temperature fluctuations. These environmental changes contribute to waterborne diseases, vector-borne illnesses, malnutrition, and mental health problems. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned, climate change will increasingly impact the environmental determinants of health.
This includes the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, such as Ebola and Malaria, driven by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. Additionally, climate change damages health infrastructure, disrupts food supply, causes malnutrition, and negatively impacts mental health. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Health in partnership with Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), launched the Climate and Health National Adaptation Plan (H-NAP) with support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a crucial step towards building resilience in the country’s healthcare system.
While speaking at the launch on Aug.22 at Sheraton Kampala Hotel, William Asiko, Vice President and head of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Africa Regional Office, said that climate change poses the most significant threat to the health and well-being of billions of Africans. “Initiatives like Uganda’s Health National Adaptation Plan demonstrate how African nations are rising to this challenge by implementing necessary cl.