title: Climate Change, Drought and Human Health in Canada.
abstract: Droughts have been recorded all across Canada and have had significant impacts on individuals and communities. With climate change, projections suggest an increasing risk of drought in Canada, particularly in the south and interior. However, there has been little research on the impacts of drought on human health and the implications of a changing climate. A review of the Canadian, U.S. and international literature relevant to the Canadian context was conducted to better define these impacts and adaptations available to protect health. Drought can impact respiratory health, mental health, illnesses related to exposure to toxins, food/water security, rates of injury and infectious diseases (including food-, water- and vector-borne diseases). A range of direct and indirect adaptation (e.g., agricultural adaptation) options exist to cope with drought. Many have already been employed by public health officials, such as communicable disease monitoring and surveillance and public education and outreach. However, gaps exist in our understanding of the impacts of short-term vs. prolonged drought on the health of Canadians, projections of drought and its characteristics at the regional level and the effectiveness of current adaptations. Further research will be critical to inform adaptation planning to reduce future drought-related risks to health.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Program, Health Canada, 180 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON M5V 3L7, Canada. anna.yusa@hc-sc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yusa
authors.affiliation: Climate Change and Health Office, Health Canada, 269 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada. peter.berry@hc-sc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St., Toronto, ON M5A 2S5, Canada. june.cheng@medportal.ca.
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: J Cheng
authors.affiliation: Centre for Food-Borne, Environmental and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Public Health Agency of Canada, 3200 Sicotte, P.O. Box 5000, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 7C6, Canada. nicholas.ogden@hc-sc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogden
authors.affiliation: Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Blvd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 3H5, Canada. barrie.bonsal@ec.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Barrie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bonsal
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, 70A Dysart Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada. ronald.stewart@umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1A 0Z2, Canada. ruth.waldick@carleton.ca.|Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada. ruth.waldick@carleton.ca.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Waldick
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000383:Agriculture; D002170:Canada; D057231:Climate Change; D055864:Droughts; D005523:Food Supply; D062489:Health Impact Assessment; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: Canada; adaptation; climate change; drought; human health impacts