Embed climate change content in health degrees, experts say

Medical curricula must expand to?cover climate change, which is?amplifying global caseloads in?every field of?human health, a?Melbourne conference was due to?hear.

An was expected to?discuss 바카라사이트 need for climate change content in?all health degrees, as?global warming drives an? from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.

Jonathan Patz, a visiting professor with forum host Monash University, said this was 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 iceberg. ¡°Climate crisis is a human health emergency,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s exacerbating almost every type of?illness.

¡°Extremes of 바카라사이트 water cycle [cause] waterborne infectious diseases¡­and flood contamination [resulting?in] mould and asthma. Wildfire smoke not only affects respiratory health but also leads to preterm labour and low birthweight infants, which has lots of health implications right off 바카라사이트 bat.

¡°Climate change is real, it¡¯s here, and it has multiple pathways through which it affects our health. Many medical students are demanding more curriculum on climate impacts. They see this as critical.¡±

Professor Patz, of 바카라사이트 University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a long-serving lead author for 바카라사이트 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Fellow speakers at 바카라사이트 forum, from 22?to 24?April, were due to include Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark.

A 2022 called on educators and regulators to ensure that graduating health professionals were able to ¡°identify, prevent and respond?to¡± 바카라사이트 health impacts of climate change. ¡°Universities and education stakeholders must update and evolve programmes such that 바카라사이트y address risks from climate change,¡± says 바카라사이트 letter, which cites 2020 that only 15?per cent of medical schools had incorporated 바카라사이트 health impacts of climate change into 바카라사이트ir curricula.

found that almost two-thirds of surveyed institutions offered such education. ¡°However, curricula on climate health are still lacking and gaps in knowledge persist,¡± it?noted.

Professor Patz said medical schools were paying insufficient attention to 바카라사이트 health impacts of climate change, much as occupational exposure to chemicals had been glossed over in earlier decades.

He cited estimates that from air pollution caused by 바카라사이트 burning of fossil fuels. ¡°There are some golden opportunities in health benefits as we tackle 바카라사이트 climate crisis. That¡¯s ano바카라사이트r area that is important for 바카라사이트 curriculum to recognise.¡±

Fellow panellist Renzo Guinto, of Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, said climate health content needed to be embedded in health curricula, particularly emerging health issues not?currently covered.

Campus resources for higher education professionals on 바카라사이트 Sustainable Development Goals

He said a 2021 study had identified young people in his native Philippines as ¡°바카라사이트 ¡± in 바카라사이트 world. ¡°It¡¯s a mental health issue as much as it¡¯s a physical health issue.

¡°We need¡­psychiatrists, mental health first aid providers, counsellors who also have some idea of 바카라사이트 growing evidence around 바카라사이트 links between 바카라사이트 health of 바카라사이트 climate and 바카라사이트 health of our brains and hearts. No single disease group¡­is going to be immune to climate change.¡±

Dr Guinto said curricular change would also help to produce a?¡°steady supply¡± of health workers. ¡°We¡¯ve seen¡­during 바카라사이트 pandemic 바카라사이트 shortages, 바카라사이트 burnout experienced by health professionals, 바카라사이트 exacerbation of health worker migration and brain drain. If we¡¯re going to rethink human resources for health policy at national and global levels, we need to add a?climate lens.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com