With more than 1,600 miles of coastline, Mozambique is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has started a new planetary health project in Nampula province, an area prone to extreme weather events which lead to climate-sensitive diseases becoming more prevalent year round.
“Today, malaria is basically present throughout the year. Which is very different from what happened in the past when malaria was seen mostly in the rainy season,” said MSF health promotion supervisor Adamo Armando Palame. The rains appear to have changed over the last decade to now occur during a shorter period of time, but releasing more quantities of water in heavier and more intense rainfall, resulting in the creation of lots of little lakes in which mosquitoes breed throughout the year. The heavy rains also wash away crops and impact agricultural yields, affecting food production and people’s income.
