Flanders will treat climate change as public health issue with new government position

The region’s ‘climate doctor’ will devise a plan to prepare the population for adaptation

The Flemish government is looking for an expert to fill a new, pioneering position – ‘climate doctor’. The person who will form part of the Department of Care, apart from being a certified physician with experience in public health management must also be something of a visionary who will follow the trends in climate change.

The latter is necessary because the ‘climate doctor’ will have to devise plans and strategies to prepare the population of the Belgian region in the best possible way to withstand the effects of climate change on their wellbeing.

The medical aspect of climate

The fact that climate can have an impact on one’s health and well-being is an idea that has been brought up since ancient times. In a sense, much of modern tourism’s rest-and-relaxation in sea or mountain resorts descends from the 19th-century way of trying to treat people with tuberculosis by placing them in what were perceived as healthier climatic conditions.

Climate change is an omnipresent topic these days, yet it seems that it is rarely looked at from a medical perspective, except for the dog days of summer when people are advised to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated.

The themes that the 'climate doctor' must consider, however, are much more diverse.

"We all know that the climate is changing. More warm periods, more rainfall: that also has health consequences," says Joris Moonens of the Department of Care, quoted by VRT. 

This also means there is also an increase in the number of tick bites, pollen allergies and the introduction of exotic animals such as the tiger mosquito. More allergies may occur in the future or more mold may develop.

All of the above examples show how the change in climate can bring about a domino effect of public health consequences.