By: Robert
Kwaku Annor
Senegal's National Agency
for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM) and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar
(IPD) have agreed to develop a formal partnership to strengthen the use of
climate data in health monitoring and improve early warning of health risks.
The agreement follows a
meeting between the two institutions when a delegation from the Institut
Pasteur de Dakar visited ANACIM to explore opportunities for collaboration at
the intersection of climate and health.
The discussions enabled both
institutions to share their respective experiences and identify three priority
areas for cooperation: the joint use of climate and health data, research, and
the strengthening of early warning systems for health risks.
During the meeting, the
Institut Pasteur de Dakar presented work undertaken through its research
programme dedicated to climate change and disease dynamics, including studies
on malaria, dengue fever and Rift Valley fever.
The discussions highlighted
the importance of combining climatic and biomedical expertise to better
anticipate health risks and strengthen preparedness for climate-related disease
outbreaks.
The two institutions agreed
to develop a draft convention to formalise their partnership and promote joint
initiatives for the benefit of the population.
The proposed collaboration
is expected to strengthen the link between meteorological information and
public health monitoring, supporting efforts to anticipate and respond to
health threats associated with changing climatic conditions.
