Kenya Climate and Health Working Group established

As one of the follow-ups to our Africa-wide Climate and Health Challenge Dialogue, the organizing team has provided all the resources developed during the Dialogue process to support a new Kenya Climate and Health Working Group.

Their first planning/stakeholder workshop was held 8-9 December 2008 at the PanAfric hotel in Nairobi.

Patti Kristjanson presented 'Linking Climate and Health Research to Reduce Africa's Infectious Disease Burden: Lessons from an African Challenge Dialogue' summarizing the Challenge Dialogue process and outputs and potential usefulness for the Kenya Working Group.

Christine Jost gave a presentation on 'Climate and Zoonoses Adaptation and Mitigation - Learning from Rift Valley Fever and Avian Influenza (HPAI)'. She discussed an example of the implementation of a one health concept in Kenya, i.e. the use of a decision support tool jointly developed by FAO, ILRI and others that has been applied recently by a technical group made up of veterinary and public health members (over 10 departments/insitutions in all) in response to a climate prediction that the conditions for Rift Valley Fever are once again very high for this year and early next year in Kenya. She also discussed some of ILRI/partner's lessons regarding risk mapping and adaptation and mitigation efforts and approaches regarding avian influenza, H5N1 HPAI.