Climate Change, Malaria, and Neglected Tropical Diseases
On World Neglected Disease Day (World NTD Day) 2025, RSTMH hosted a webinar on the topic of climate change, malaria, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), in collaboration with The World Health Organization Task Team on Climate Change, Neglected Tropical Diseases and Malaria. We have published the recording of the webinar below.
The webinar focused on the new major scoping review published in Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, which draws on extensive research spanning over a decade and lays a foundation for understanding how climate shifts are likely to influence disease dynamics.
It also outlines potential pathways for developing greater understanding of the future impact and critically points to the need for more comprehensive research to better inform refined strategies in response to climate-related health challenges.
The scoping review was carried out by the Task Team under the guidance of Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall and with support from Reaching the Last Mile; The Fred Hollows Foundation; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the European Commission. Read more about the scoping review here.
Speaking at the webinar were:
- Dr Alastair Robb, Global Malaria Programme, World Health Organization
- Dr Anthony Solomon, Chief Scientist to the Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme, World Health Organization
- Dr Ebere Okereke, Chief Program Officer Reaching the Last Mile
- Professor Deirdre Hollingsworth, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, NDM Centre for Global Health Research, Big Data Institute (BDI), University of Oxford
- Dr Petra Klepac, Global Health Modelling consultant, World Health Organisation
The session chair was Dr Samson Kiware, Principal Research Scientist, Ifakara Health Institute (IHI).
Ahead of the webinar, Professor Deirdre Hollingsworth wrote this blog which looks at potential ways to advance research on the impact of climate change on malaria and NTDs. Read it here.
