| ABSTRACT | Climate change (CC) affects the human health in different pathways. The impacts are direct and indirect. The affects are multifaceted and vary in scale and timing as a function of the local environmental conditions and the human population vulnerability. Heat waves have discernible impacts on health including rise in mortality and morbidity. Heat-related illnesses can occur when high ambient temperatures overcome the body's natural ability to dissipate heat. Older adults, young children and persons with chronic medical conditions are particularly susceptible to these illnesses and are at high risk for heat-related mortality. In the Mediterranean basin, a significant increase has been observed in the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves. Recent projections predict a significant increase in the persistence, severity and frequency of extreme heat events in the coming decades. Although the level of acclimation of the Mediterranean' inhabitants is high, an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves is a significant risk for vulnerable population, including those who live in poverty that have less secure, air-conditioned homes. CC has influences on the transmission of vector-borne diseases (VBD) since the life-cycle dynamics of the vector species, pathogenic organisms and the reservoir organisms are sensitive to weather conditions. In recent years, several outbreaks of different VBD have been documented in the Mediterranean region. For some of them (as West Nile virus), linkages with CC have been already proved. For others (as dengue), recent observed climatic trends in the Mediterranean supposed to contribute to their transmission potential in the region. Increased temperature will cause an upsurge in the growth rates of mosquitos' populations, decrease the interval between blood meals, shorten the incubation time from infection to infectiousness in mosquitoes and accelerate the virus evolution rate. In order to minimize the risks of CC to the health of the Mediterranean population, the following adaptation measures are recommended: assessment of health risks, extreme events management (e.g. early-warning systems with a focus on vulnerable populations), raising awareness to risks among all sectors, collaboration and coordination between Mediterranean countries, better preparedness of health institutions, improving surveillance and control of climate-sensitive diseases, conducting local research to improve assessments of health risks. |