An Economic Assessment of the Impacts of Climate Change has been completed at the national level in Uganda. As part of this nation-wide study, this case study seeks to assess the impacts of climate change and their costs in the health sector in the districts of Tororo and Kabale, drawing on national projections of climate change.
Malaria is endemic in 95% of Uganda, and poses significant economic and soci al costs. In both districts looked at in this study, the costs associated with malaria could more than double by 2050 as a result of both population increase and predicted changes in climate. In Tororo, the economic cost of malaria due to climate change may rise from $9-$ 22 1 million in 2010 to $ 20 -$561 million in 2050. In Kabale, these costs may increase from between $0.7-$1 5.8 million in 2010 to between $1.55-$41.7 million in 2050. Efforts need to be increased to reduce this burden - and there are a number of low cost actions that may be taken.
Adaptation options such as Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs), Indoor Residential Spra ying (IRS), clearing of breeding sites and proper treatment have been shown to have benefits that far outweigh the costs when they are properly targeted, even without climate change. Additional cost-effective adaptation actions in the immediate term may include information dissemination, particularly to high risk areas, revised planning regimes to help control malaria prevalence, and measures for early warning and action for malaria risk. The spatial differentiation in malaria risk suggests there is no “one size fits allâ policy for malaria, and hence there is a need for comprehensive di sease vulnerability assessments and action planning across districts.