Building resilience to emerging disease-transmitting species and improving surveillance in Spain

Key Learnings

• A multilevel and cross-sectoral climate change adaptation approach improves resilience: The Climate Change Roadmap for Navarre combines mitigation, adaptation, and crosscutting actions, based on strong coordinating efforts across governance levels and sectors.
• Transmitter surveillance is becoming an emerging health priority: Climate change is accelerating the spread of disease-carrying transmitters, such as ticks and tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), that affect humans and animals. Surveillance and control of those species have become critical to public and livestock health strategies.
• Crosscutting Technical Group on Disease-Transmitters: Step-by-step Navarre created a Technical Working Group to enable effective collaboration between public institutions and professionals from diverse fields under a “One Health” perspective, facilitating an integrated response to emerging health threats.
• Efficient use of public resources to reduce health risks: The coordination and exchange of technical knowledge within the Technical Working Group has led to more efficient use of public resources, improved public health protocols, and strengthened regional resilience to climate-related health risks.

Summary

Climate change is causing the gradual settlement and the spread of emerging disease transmitters, which increasingly threaten both human and animal health. Consequently, improving surveillance and monitoring systems for these diseases and disease carriers has become a current priority. However, this requires coordinated efforts among various societal stakeholders through a stable governance system. Since 2020, a technical working group has addressed the challenges related to emerging transmitted diseases from a One Health perspective. This group, which has expanded to include a growing number of interested parties, will be converted into an official committee to address the official health and climate change goals in Spain and in Navarre.

Contact

Miguel Ángel González Moreno
Directorate General for the Environment. Government of Navarre
E-mail: ma [dot] gonzalez [dot] morenonavarra [dot] es (ma[dot]gonzalez[dot]moreno[at]navarra[dot]es)

Itziar Almarcegui Artieda
Directorate General for the Environment. Government of Navarre
E-mail: ialmarcanavarra [dot] es (ialmarca[at]navarra[dot]es)

Isaías Bautista Sanz
Institute of Public and Occupational Health of Navarre. Government of Navarre
E-mail: isaias [dot] bautista [dot] sanznavarra [dot] es (isaias[dot]bautista[dot]sanz[at]navarra[dot]es)

Estrella Miqueleiz Autor
Institute of Public and Occupational Health of Navarre. Government of Navarre
E-mail: estrella [dot] miqueleiz [dot] autornavarra [dot] es (estrella[dot]miqueleiz[dot]autor[at]navarra[dot]es)