Climate Change and Health in Iran: a Narrative Review

Overview

Journal J Environ Health Sci Eng

Publisher Springer

Date 2020 May 14

PMID 32399247

Citations 10

Authors

Arefeh Mousavi

Ali Ardalan

Amirhossein Takian

Abbas Ostadtaghizadeh

Kazem Naddafi

Alireza Massah Bavani

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The consequences of climate change are highly impeding the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) anywhere, especially in low and middle-income countries. While climate change scales up, its health-related risks increase, which in turn leads to cause new challenges for public health. As a second largest country of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of World Health Organization, Iran is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Purpose: This study seeks the notion of health risks and challenges of climate change in Iran and provide potential evidence-based remedies to prevent and diminish such destructive effects.

Methods: A comprehensive literature in various computerized databases was conducted, and numerous published original research and review articles about climate change status and evidences of adverse health consequences of climate change in Iran were reviewed.

Results: The evidence suggests that the expected health challenges related to climate change in Iran are: rising temperatures; frequent extreme weather events; reduction of air quality; food-borne, water-borne, and vector-borne diseases; mental health and well-being consequences; and the increasing trend of natural disasters and deaths associated with climatological hazards.

Conclusions: By considering the growing burden of diseases associated with climate variability in Iran as well as the interdisciplinary nature of climate change and health issues, an integrated, multi-sectoral, and comprehensive approach for identification, prioritization, and implementation of adaptation options is required by Ministry of Health and Medical Education as a custodian of public health in order to enhance the resiliency and adaption against adverse health effects of climate change.

Citing Articles

A policy context and process analysis to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in the health system of Iran.

Mousavi A, Ardalan A, Takian A, Naddafi K, Mesdaghinia A BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):893.

PMID: 40050809 PMC: 11883993. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22029-3.

Snakebite Envenomation From the Large Palearctic Viper, (Squamata: Serpentes; Viperidae), in Fars Province, Southern Iran.

Shahabi S, Azizi K, Soltani A, Paksa A, Moemenbellah-Fard M, Kalantari M J Trop Med. 2024; 2024:4207010.

PMID: 39654636 PMC: 11628172. DOI: 10.1155/jotm/4207010.

Nurses' challenges for disaster response: a qualitative study.

Farokhzadian J, Shahrbabaki P, Farahmandnia H, Taskiran Eskici G, Goki F BMC Emerg Med. 2024; 24(1):1.

PMID: 38172759 PMC: 10765941. DOI: 10.1186/s12873-023-00921-8.

Geographical and climatic risk factors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the hyper-endemic focus of Bam County in southeast Iran.

Ghatee M, Sharifi I, Mohammadi N, Moghaddam B, Kohansal M Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1236552.

PMID: 38026324 PMC: 10680988. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236552.

Exploring medical students' perceptions and understanding of the health impacts of climate change: a qualitative content analysis.

Heydari A, Partovi P, Zarezadeh Y, Yari A BMC Med Educ. 2023; 23(1):774.

PMID: 37853406 PMC: 10585725. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04769-1.

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