Warning system for extreme Weather Events, Awareness Technology for Healthcare, Equitable delivery, and Resilience (WEATHER) Project : A mixed Methods Research Study Protocol

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Lynch, Mary and Harris, Fiona and Ierna, Michelle and Mahomed, Ozayr and Henriquez-Mui, Fiona and Gebreslasie, Michael and Ndzi, David and Viriri, Serestina and Shakir, Muhammad Zeeshan and Dickinson, Natalie and Miller, Caroline and Hursthouse, Andrew and Nadesan-Reddy, Nisha and Nkwanyana, Fikile and Spencer, Llinos Haf and Naidoo, Saloshni (2025) Warning system for extreme Weather Events, Awareness Technology for Healthcare, Equitable delivery, and Resilience (WEATHER) Project : A mixed Methods Research Study Protocol. Climate, 13 (8). 170. ISSN 2225-1154 (https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13080170)

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Abstract

This study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate an Early Warning System (EWS) to alert communities and government agencies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about extreme weather events (EWEs) and related disease outbreaks. The project focuses on eThekwini and Ugu municipalities, using a participatory, co-creation approach with communities and health providers. A systematic review will be undertaken to understand the impact of climate change on disease outbreaks and design an EWS that integrates data from rural and urban healthcare and environmental contexts. It will assess disease burden at primary healthcare clinics, examine health needs and community experiences during EWEs, and evaluate health system resilience. The project will also evaluate the design, development, and performance of the EWS intervention, including its implementation costs. Ethical approval will be sought, and informed consent obtained from participants. Based on the findings, recommendations will be made to the Department of Health to enhance early warning systems and health system resilience in response to EWEs and disease outbreaks.

ORCID iDs

Lynch, Mary, Harris, Fiona, Ierna, Michelle, Mahomed, Ozayr, Henriquez-Mui, Fiona ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5534-1019, Gebreslasie, Michael, Ndzi, David, Viriri, Serestina, Shakir, Muhammad Zeeshan, Dickinson, Natalie, Miller, Caroline, Hursthouse, Andrew, Nadesan-Reddy, Nisha, Nkwanyana, Fikile, Spencer, Llinos Haf and Naidoo, Saloshni;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)