CHENNAI: The state is set to establish ‘One Health and Climate Hub’ under the Health Department to address region-specific challenges such as rising temperature, increased vector-borne diseases, biodiversity loss, antimicrobial resistance and coastal vulnerability, in the context of climate change, according to a GO issued by Health Secretary Supriya Sahu on Friday.
The hub will develop AI-based models to predict disease trends based on climate scenarios. It will create and update a state-level database to track climate-sensitive diseases, with a focus on vulnerable communities. It will conduct comprehensive studies to map health risks and the diseases.
A “One Health and Climate Change Centre” will be established at the state level to ensure real-time data collection, analysis and reporting to track the incidence of diseases exacerbated by climate changes, including zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, heat stress, and respiratory illnesses, etc.
The health secretary will chair the hub, which will include the project director of TN Health Systems Project, the managing director of the NHM, director of public health and preventive medicine and director of medical and rural health Services as members.
Robust data management systems will be established to monitor and manage physical, financial and epidemiological profiles for climate-sensitive illnesses. The data integration will inform resource allocation, healthcare infrastructure, and policymaking, enabling proactive interventions. Also, the hub will foster coordination between departments like health, animal husbandry, environment and forest and disaster management to strengthen data and management.