Climate-driven emergencies are increasingly testing the resilience of health systems across sub-Saharan Africa. Floods, droughts, heatwaves, changing rainfall patterns and associated population displacement can increase the risks of cholera, malaria, dengue, malnutrition and respiratory illness while simultaneously disrupting health facilities and supply chains. The source article identifies a fundamental weakness: health, climate, laboratory, environmental and humanitarian information is often fragmented across systems, while reporting from frontline settings may remain delayed or paper-based. Information may therefore reach national decision-makers without reaching the health workers, local authorities and communities who must act on it.
This is fundamentally a health-systems strengthening issue, not simply a digitalisation challenge. Effective early warning requires infrastructure, interoperable information, competent personnel, institutional coordination, accountable governance and community participation. The objective is not to collect every possible dataset, but to connect a small number of reliable indicators to clearly defined decisions and actions.
Africa already has an important institutional foundation. Africa CDC's revised Event-Based Surveillance framework incorporates multisectoral and One Health collaboration, cross-border surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, and event-management systems. In a 2022–2023 assessment, 49 of 55 African Union Member States responded to an EBS capacity survey; 34 reported having EBS in place, but none had reached optimal capacity.
LESSONS FOR HEALTH-SYSTEM STRENGTHENING
The first lesson is to strengthen existing health-information architecture rather than establish parallel climate-health systems. Where DHIS2 or comparable national platforms exist, climate data can be linked with routine disease indicators, laboratory information, geographic boundaries, population movement and facility readiness. The source's proposed “minimum viable dataset” is particularly relevant: usefulness depends on the relationship between information and action, not data volume.
Consider a district experiencing intense rainfall and flooding. A practical cholera early-warning system could combine reports of acute watery diarrhoea, laboratory confirmation, rainfall and flood extent, water-access conditions, population displacement, medicine stocks and facility functionality. The resulting alert could trigger investigation, water and sanitation measures, community mobilisation and pre-positioning of supplies before case numbers escalate.
The second lesson is the importance of the last mile. An alert on a national dashboard has limited public-health value if a rural health worker lacks connectivity or electricity. Offline-capable mobile applications, SMS/USSD reporting, solar power, standardised electronic registers and community reporting mechanisms therefore constitute essential health-system infrastructure. Africa CDC's experience reinforces this systems perspective. Its EBS framework was developed to improve early capture, tracking, analysis and reporting of public-health events across levels of the system, while integrating information from multiple sources.
SUSTAINABILITY AND LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT IMPACT
Sustainability requires financing the system behind the technology. Connectivity, equipment replacement, software maintenance, cybersecurity, supervision and workforce development require recurrent resources. Digital surveillance should therefore be incorporated into national health budgets, workforce plans, emergency operations and routine supervision rather than remain dependent on short project cycles. Workforce capacity is equally important. Frontline personnel need skills in data quality, epidemiology, GIS, climate-health analysis, digital security, risk communication and interpretation of predictive models.
Governance must accompany technical integration. Countries need explicit arrangements for data ownership, access, privacy, cross-border exchange, model validation and review of false alarms and missed events. This is particularly important for refugees, internally displaced persons, pastoralist populations and other mobile groups who may be poorly represented in routine facility-based surveillance.
CONCLUSION
The central lesson is that early warning is not an information product; it is a health-system function. Its value is realised only when a credible signal reaches the institution or community responsible for acting, within a timeframe that permits prevention or mitigation. For African and other low-resource settings, the appropriate architecture is therefore offline-first, interoperable and locally governed. It should connect surveillance, climate services, laboratories, primary health care, emergency management, humanitarian coordination and community action rather than create another vertical programme.
The measure of success should consequently be operational: time from climate signal to alert; alert to investigation; investigation to response; completeness and timeliness of reporting; continuity during power, connectivity or conflict disruptions; inclusion of mobile and displaced populations; and the proportion of alerts that generate documented action. Such an approach has significance beyond emergency response. By strengthening routine surveillance, information governance, workforce capability, intersectoral coordination and primary health-care preparedness, climate-informed early warning becomes an investment in long-term health-system resilience and development capacity. The objective is not simply to predict the next emergency, but to ensure that African health systems have the institutional capability to recognise risk early, act proportionately and sustain essential services when hazards occur.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Event-based surveillance revised framework, training manual, and African Union health information exchange guidelines and standards. Africa CDC.
Mercy, K., Balajee, A., Numbere, T.-W., Ngere, P., Simwaba, D., & Kebede, Y. (2023). Africa CDC’s blueprint to enhance early warning surveillance: Accelerating implementation of event-based surveillance in Africa. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 14(8), Article 2027. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2023.2827
Tetuh, K. M., Salyer, S. J., Aliddeki, D. M., Tibebu, B., Osman, F., Amabo, F. C., Warren, L. K., Buba, M. I., & Kebede, Y. (2023). Evaluating event-based surveillance capacity in Africa: Use of the Africa CDC scorecard, 2022–2023. Preventive Medicine Reports, 36, Article 102398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102398
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Integrated surveillance and climate-informed health early warning systems. Retrieved August 17, 2026, from https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/climate-...
“Technological tools, including computers, search engines, statistical software, AI, and other digital applications routinely employed in contemporary scholarship, assisted in the preparation of this work. However, the conceptualization, analysis, interpretation, verification of information, conclusions, and responsibility for the content remain solely those of the author.” - Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje; CEO/Programmes Director, Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), and President, African Refugees Council (ARC).
HIFA profile: Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje is a leading voice in health education, community health, and advocacy, with decades of experience advancing people-centered development across Africa and beyond. His approach to health education emphasizes participatory learning, knowledge transfer, and behavior change communication, ensuring that individuals and communities gain the skills and awareness to make informed decisions about their health. He develops and delivers innovative health promotion strategies tailored to local realities, particularly in resource-limited settings. In community health, Dr. Adirieje has championed integrated primary health care, preventive medicine, and grassroots health initiatives. Through Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA), which he leads, he connects civil society, community groups, and health institutions to strengthen healthcare delivery, tackle health inequities, and improve access to essential services for vulnerable populations. His work addresses infectious diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, climate and health, environmental health, and emerging public health challenges. As a passionate advocate, Dr. Adirieje works with governments, NGOs, and international organizations to influence health policy, mobilize resources, and promote sustainable development goals (SDGs). He amplifies community voices, ensuring that health systems are inclusive, accountable, and responsive. His advocacy extends beyond health to governance, environment, and social justice, positioning him as a multidisciplinary leader shaping healthier and more equitable societies. afrepton AT gmail.com