Climate Resilient Health Systems: A Case Study of Climate Change and Dengue in Nepal
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Introduction
Nepal is vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, resulting in the expansion of vector-borne diseases such as dengue throughout the country. Due to rising temperatures, dengue cases have been significantly increasing, underscoring the urgent need for a climate-smart approach to public health resilience. This case study assesses how the health system in Nepal has coped with the increase in dengue cases in relation to climate change over the last decade.
Methodology
We conducted a desk review concerning the impact of climate change on dengue in Nepal using WHO’s six-building blocks framework (leadership and governance, health workforce, health service delivery, health information system, and access to essential medicines). To complement the review, we also held two multi-stakeholder consultative workshops on dengue outbreak management convening academics, government (federal, provincial, municipal), the World Health Organization, private sector, and NGOs. One was conducted before the desk review and the other after the draft report was prepared to validate findings.
Findings
Our findings reveal that, despite comprehensive federal dengue policies and guidelines, implementation is undermined by limited local capacity, poor multisectoral collaboration, weak information transmission, and inadequate workforce and diagnostic resources. Strengthening health-worker and volunteer training, laboratory and surveillance systems (including collaborative, data-driven climate-smart public health platforms), meaningful community engagement, and sufficient resource allocation are essential to enable timely, locally tailored dengue prevention and control in Nepal.
Conclusion
Although national policies for dengue control are well established, local implementation suffers from limited capacity, poor coordination, and inadequate surveillance and diagnostics. Investing in workforce training, laboratory and data-driven surveillance enhancements, and community-centered engagement—backed by consistent resource allocation—is critical for timely, locally tailored dengue prevention and control in Nepal.
