How Is Mexico Facing the Health Effects of Climate Change?

In Mexico, the main health effects of climate change are exposure to high temperatures and the increased capacity of the Aedes aegypti mosquito to transmit dengue. The country needs to include a health approach in its policies for adapting to climate change, according to the 2023 report by the regional center the Lancet Countdown Latin America.

The report showed that populations in Latin America are increasingly exposed to changing climatic conditions, highlighting the need for public policies to increase climate resilience, reduce social inequalities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve population health.

The authors evaluated 34 indicators from 17 Latin American countries to show the effects of climate change on population health in this region. For the first time since its launch in 2015, this analysis included Mexico and the countries of Central America to provide a regional perspective.

Among the indicators analyzed in the report are exposure to high temperatures and environmental pollution, changes in climatic conditions and their relationship with vector-borne diseases, as well as climate change adaptation policies in the region.

Stella Hartinger, PhD, director of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change South America Center and author of the report, told the Medscape Spanish edition that the study reveals that the impacts of climate change are increasing, but there are no changes in the adaptation and mitigation strategies in the countries of the region because the health approach has not been included.

“Climate change is not going away. We have to start learning to live with its effects and demand from our decision-makers that their political agendas address climate change with an intersectoral approach that includes not only environmental issues but also health.”

Rising Temperatures

Among the findings of the report was the increase in temperatures in Latin America. In 2022, the average temperature in the countries of the region was 0.38 °C higher than during the period 1986-2005, which was the time taken as a reference in the study.

In 2022 in Mexico, the average summer temperatures were 0.5 °C higher than those recorded between 1986 and 2005. In addition, between 2013 and 2022, vulnerable sectors such as children younger than 1 year and people older than 65 years were more exposed to high temperatures, experiencing more heat wave days per year, than the 1986-2005 period.

Magali Hurtado Díaz, PhD, member of the Population Health Research Center of Mexico ‘s National Institute of Public Health, said that one of the most visible effects of climate change on health includes illnesses resulting from exposure to high temperatures, such as heat strokes and dehydration, which are already notifiable diseases in Mexico.

Dengue Transmission

Changes in environmental temperature and rainfall frequency associated with climate change influence the transmission of infectious diseases and vector-borne diseases because these climate modifications alter ecosystems, thus affecting the reproduction of the A aegypti mosquito.

In Mexico, the ability of the A aegypti mosquito to transmit dengue increased between 2013 and 2022. For Latin America, the mosquito’s infectious ability rose to 54%. The report indicated that the dengue transmission potential coincides with recent outbreaks and the increase in cases registered in the region in recent months.

In February 2024, the Pan American Health Organization issued an epidemiologic alert about the increase in the number of dengue cases in the Americas. Over 21 weeks, Mexico reported 14,138 cases of this disease and 26 deaths.

Air Pollution

The study conducted by the Lancet Center indicated that air pollution is a significant problem throughout the region, stemming from the low adoption of renewable energies and the use of fossil fuels, resulting in the population’s exposure to high levels of air pollution.

In 2022, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Uruguay, Honduras, Panama, and Nicaragua were among the 100 most polluted countries in the world. In 2020, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Paraguay were the Latin American countries with the highest premature mortality rate attributable to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), which comes from cars, factories, and fires.

The document emphasized that countries in the region need to accelerate their transition to renewable energy sources to prioritize health and well-being, as well as reduce air pollution.

Mexico’s Adaptation Policies

The analysis suggested that until 2022, there was no evidence that Mexico was conducting a vulnerability and adaptation assessment or an adaptation plan for the health sector regarding the effects of climate change. There was also no evidence of compliance with the development of climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, which are commitments under the Transformative Climate and Health Action Alliance led by the World Health Organization in 2022 to help member countries build health systems that adapt to the effects of climate change.

Hurtado emphasized that although Mexico has the Special Climate Change Program 2021-2024, which establishes strategies and actions for mitigation and adaptation to the effects of this phenomenon, there are still challenges in integrating the health approach into climate change policies, such as strengthening the epidemiologic surveillance of climate-related diseases and generating data on the effects of climate variations on health.

“First, we must be very clear about which ailments are related to climate change to subject them to epidemiological surveillance, not only the most visible ones, such as those derived from high temperatures, but also those like malnutrition, renal function impairments, mental health problems, and cardiovascular events, and take health promotion actions,” she explained.

Hartinger pointed out that another challenge, not only in Mexico but also in Latin America, is that climate change adaptation plans must also be carried out at the municipal level because there is a discrepancy between national plans and what happens at the local level.

“National adaptation measures must be applied at the city level. If they do not have their own risk assessments or are not prepared to implement what is required of them, we enter a cycle of inaction. The message must reach governors and mayors, but this is not happening.”

Hartinger emphasized that the Ministries of Health in Latin America must be part of national and international negotiations to put health on the agenda for climate change adaptation.

Hartinger and Hurtado declared having no relevant financial relationships.

This story was translated from the Medscape Spanish edition using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.