Lodwar, February 2nd, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
Health systems are facing growing pressure from climate-driven disease outbreaks and malnutrition.
The County Department of Health and Sanitation hosted a research team from the Centre for Humanitarian Change (CHC) led by Dr. Anne Khisa who presented on a Research proposal under the Health System Resilience to Climate-related Surges (HERCS) Project (2025-2026).
Dr. Anne noted that climate change is already affecting health outcomes in the county, with rising cases of malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections, and malnutrition.
“These climate shocks often cause sudden surges in people’s health seeking behavior. Without preparedness, such sharp increases can overwhelm both health facilities and communities,” she said.
The HERCS Project in collaboration with the county working alongside communities aim to strengthen preparedness and response to climate-related health crises. The project will focus on Turkana and Marsabit counties, which are among the areas most affected by climate extremes.
The new project aims to co-create practical tools with communities and health workers to help anticipate, prepare for, and respond better to climate-driven health shocks. The approach combines local knowledge, community participation, and emerging technologies to build resilient health systems.
The project will be implemented in close collaboration with the county government, health workers, community leaders, and partners, and is organised around three key pillars.
The first focuses on strengthening health facilities. This will involve working with frontline health workers to understand how climate shocks affect patient numbers, building on existing IMAM Surge approaches used in managing malnutrition, and supporting facilities to identify early warning signs and take action before crises escalate. The initiative also seeks to enhance long-term preparedness and resilience of dispensaries and other primary health facilities.
The second pillar centres on strengthening community health. Communities will be supported to identify health risks linked to droughts and floods, recognise early warning signs, and take agreed actions in advance. The project will build on the role of community health promoters, local leaders, and women’s groups, strengthening community capacity to protect health during climate shocks.
The third pillar focuses on forecasting health surges. HERCS will study drivers of sudden increases in illness and health service use, drawing on climate, health, and other data sources. Artificial intelligence tools will be applied to estimate the likelihood of future health surges, enabling decision-makers to plan and allocate resources ahead of time.
The project adopts a participatory approach, ensuring communities and health workers are actively involved in designing and testing the tools. Planned activities include community and facility workshops, interviews with county and sub-county officials, NGOs, and national agencies, as well as joint analysis and validation of findings with stakeholders.
Expected outcomes include improved early warning information on climate-related health risks, empowered health workers and communities able to act early, and practical tools that can be scaled to other climate-vulnerable counties. The project also aims to strengthen collaboration between communities, county governments, and national agencies.
With climate change projected to worsen malnutrition and infectious diseases in arid and semi-arid regions, HERCS seeks to strengthen preparedness today to protect lives tomorrow.
By building resilient systems now, the initiative aims to reduce pressure on health services while supporting healthier, more adaptive communities in Turkana and beyond.
