Olufolakemi M Cole-Adeife, Ayesha O Akinkugbe, Olusola O Ayanlowo, Adewunmi Akingbola, Abel N Onunu
{"title":"Skin health and climate change in Africa: an overlooked intersection and call for action.","authors":"Olufolakemi M Cole-Adeife, Ayesha O Akinkugbe, Olusola O Ayanlowo, Adewunmi Akingbola, Abel N Onunu","doi":"10.1093/inthealth/ihaf147","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate and environmental change are increasingly affecting skin health across Africa, but this remains under-recognised in global health discussions. Rising temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, pollution, flooding, deforestation, and droughts are reshaping the epidemiology of many cutaneous infections, inflammatory conditions, and malignancies. Unregulated cosmetic and antiseptic skincare products further compound both cutaneous and environmental harm. Addressing these emerging challenges is essential for health equity and resilience across the continent's rapidly evolving landscape. The recent World Health Assembly resolution on skin diseases as a global public health priority affirms this need to include dermatology and skin health in climate and environmental health policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":49060,"journal":{"name":"International Health","volume":" ","pages":"546-548"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13329961/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihaf147","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Climate and environmental change are increasingly affecting skin health across Africa, but this remains under-recognised in global health discussions. Rising temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, pollution, flooding, deforestation, and droughts are reshaping the epidemiology of many cutaneous infections, inflammatory conditions, and malignancies. Unregulated cosmetic and antiseptic skincare products further compound both cutaneous and environmental harm. Addressing these emerging challenges is essential for health equity and resilience across the continent's rapidly evolving landscape. The recent World Health Assembly resolution on skin diseases as a global public health priority affirms this need to include dermatology and skin health in climate and environmental health policies.
期刊介绍:
International Health is an official journal of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. It publishes original, peer-reviewed articles and reviews on all aspects of global health including the social and economic aspects of communicable and non-communicable diseases, health systems research, policy and implementation, and the evaluation of disease control programmes and healthcare delivery solutions.
It aims to stimulate scientific and policy debate and provide a forum for analysis and opinion sharing for individuals and organisations engaged in all areas of global health.