Emergency preparedness and disaster management for primary health care in Africa from the perspective of climate hazards and extreme weather events

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Emergency preparedness and disaster management for primary health care in Africa from the perspective of climate hazards and extreme weather events
 
Creator Theron, Elzarie Smith, Wayne P.
 
Subject Primary care; disaster science; emergency medicine climate hazards; extreme weather events; primary health care; disaster preparedness; disaster risk management
Description Climate-related hazards are impacting community health and healthcare provision across the African continent, resulting in increased vulnerability and reduced capacity to withstand further impacts. While it is important to recognise that not all climate-related hazards result in disaster, this is often the case in populations that are already vulnerable, creating a vicious cycle that further increases risk. However, with appropriate multisectoral collaboration, planning and preparedness, community resilience can be strengthened, thereby reducing the likelihood and severity of disasters. Situated at the interface between health systems and communities, primary care providers are uniquely placed to identify climate-related vulnerabilities and emerging risks. Sharing these insights through disaster risk management platforms can inform planning processes and strengthen preparedness and resilience. With this purpose in mind, this article outlines key concepts and approaches in disaster risk management, supported by a real-life case study that illustrates lessons learned and their implications for primary health care, with the aim of better equipping providers to participate in and support resilience-building efforts.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2026-05-20
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/phcfm.v18i1.5449
 
Source African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 18, No 1 (2026); 6 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5449/9310 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5449/9311 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5449/9312 https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/5449/9313
 
Coverage Africa — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Elzarie Theron, Wayne P. Smith https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT