Climate change and environmental health in southern Africa: it's not all about malaria

Abstract

In South Africa, the most commonly talked-about climate change-related human health risk is a changing pattern in the distribution and severity of malaria. However, there are three other important issues that also deserve some attention if we are to protect the health of our population in a changing climate. These issues are temperature (an its resulting heat exhaustion, reduced productivity and stroke), near surface ozone (and its resulting respiratory problems and asthma), and solar ultraviolet radiation (and its resulting cataracts, immune suppression and skin cancer).