Climate-Sensitive Public-Health Surveillance for Emerging Community Risks

Sofia M. Andrade

Climate-Sensitive Public-Health Surveillance for Emerging Community Risks

Author(s)	Dr. Sofia M. Andrade
Country	United States
Abstract	Climate variability is increasingly modifying the timing, geographical distribution, intensity, and population consequences of public-health hazards. Conventional surveillance systems that depend primarily on reported clinical cases can identify established health events but may provide insufficient lead time for risks influenced by temperature, rainfall, humidity, drought, flooding, air quality, vector ecology, and other environmental conditions. Climate-sensitive public-health surveillance offers a complementary approach by integrating meteorological, environmental, epidemiological, demographic, and community-level information to identify emerging risks before they develop into larger health emergencies. This study examines the conceptual foundations, operational architecture, and implementation requirements of climate-sensitive surveillance through a structured integrative review and evidence-mapping methodology. Particular attention is given to extreme heat, vector-borne diseases, water- and food-related illness, respiratory hazards, and climate-related disruptions affecting vulnerable communities. World Health Organization guidance emphasizes that integrated surveillance linking disease and weather information can strengthen preparedness and support climate-informed early-warning systems. Recent forecasting research also demonstrates the potential value of combining epidemiological information with climatic variables. A 2025 Brazilian dengue study using weekly disease, temperature, and humidity data achieved sensitivity of 75% and specificity ranging from 75% to 100% for predicting high-incidence conditions. However, implementation remains a major limitation. A recent assessment reported 37 validated climate-sensitive infectious-disease modeling tools, of which 30 focused on vector-borne diseases and only 20 had reached an accessible-product or implementation setting. The present study therefore proposes an integrated surveillance architecture that links environmental sensing, routine disease reporting, vulnerability indicators, predictive analytics, threshold-based alerts, community verification, and pre-defined response protocols. The analysis concludes that predictive accuracy alone is insufficient. Effective systems must also be locally calibrated, timely, interpretable, usable by decision-makers, connected to response resources, transparent regarding uncertainty, and inclusive of populations most exposed to climate-related health risks. Climate-sensitive surveillance should therefore be developed as an operational component of climate-resilient primary and public-health systems rather than as an isolated forecasting technology.
Keywords	climate-sensitive surveillance; public health; early warning systems; climate change; community health; environmental epidemiology; emerging health risks; dengue forecasting; heat-health surveillance; climate resilience
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 1, Issue 3, May-June 2020
Published On	2020-06-14

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American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Innovation and Research

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Climate-Sensitive Public-Health Surveillance for Emerging Community Risks

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