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Review
. 2025 Jun 6;22(6):903.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph22060903.

Climate Change and the Rise of Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Africa: A Literature Review

Robert Kwame D Agyarko  1   2 , Dennis Kithinji  3   4 , Kizito Bishikwabo Nsarhaza  2
Affiliations
Review

Climate Change and the Rise of Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases in Africa: A Literature Review

Robert Kwame D Agyarko et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Climate change is among the most significant challenges of the 21st century, with global warming, heat stress, floods, and drought occurring in various parts of the globe, including Africa. The impact of climate change on health is becoming increasingly substantial on the African continent due to weaknesses in economies, infrastructure, and healthcare systems. This review explores the relationship between climate change and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Africa and highlights possible solutions. It was conducted by summarizing and synthesizing related information from relevant scientific publications. This review reveals that climate change significantly contributes to Africa's emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, dengue fever, malaria, and cholera. The impact of climate change on infectious diseases is variable across the continent, with countries in West and Central Africa experiencing more significant climate change-instigated disease burdens. Multisectoral cooperation between climate change actors, environmental health researchers, policy makers, and political leaders centered in the One Health approach is necessary to develop and implement resilient interventions for climate change-induced emerging and re-emerging infections and related health hazards.

Keywords: Africa; climate change; emerging diseases; environment; health hazards; infectious diseases; one health; re-emerging diseases; zoonosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

D.K. is the director of Medright Consulting LTD but he co-authored this manuscript as an independent consultant. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of this study; the collection, analyses, or interpretation of the data; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An illustration of how heavy rainfall due to climate change causes Ebola outbreaks in humans.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A mind-map showing a multi-pronged approach to mitigating climate-induced health hazards.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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