•The health department is working on an instrument that will allow for the establishment of surveillance strategies, planning and implementation of preventive measures against risks due to climate variations that directly impact the health and well-being of the population.
Representatives from various departments of the Ministry of Health participated in the workshop entitled “Health and climate, and its impact on human health.” The meeting was chaired by the Vice Minister of Health Surveillance and Management, Dr. José Ortellado, and was attended by Dr. Andrea Ojeda, Director General of Health Surveillance, and Dr. Marcelo Korc, representative of PAHO/WHO in Paraguay.
The purpose of the workshop was to focus on health and climate in projects that can be adapted to surveillance of respiratory, gastrointestinal, mental health and other areas. To this end, a roadmap on climate surveillance and adaptation was developed.
Climate variations pose risks to human health ranging from vector-borne diseases, food crises and population displacement, to increasing challenges to health security, as well as periods of extreme heat, droughts, storms and other weather events, the effects of which could be highly detrimental to human health.
It is imperative to recognize the urgency of taking immediate action to address the consequences of climate change.
Strategies to address the challenges were also discussed and working groups were established to address comprehensive climate monitoring and adaptation.
The workshop was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Felicia Cañete, Director of Non-Communicable Disease Surveillance. Dr. Jorge Galeano, PAHO/WHO advisor, participated as facilitator.
