Table 1.

Child-specific, climate-sensitive health risks and effects^a through the lens of global climate change as a risk factor and resulting epidemiologic challenges.^b

Child-specific, climate-sensitive health risks and effects	Climate–health response function determinants	Current preventable climate-sensitive disease burden globally	Models of future burden of disease
Infectious disease	Vector control programs, water and sanitation infrastructure, immunization status	More than 80,000 annual deaths due to malaria and diarrheal disease in children < 15 years of age; DALYs not quantified by category	No age-stratified projections exist by disease category
Food, water, toxics	Food and water availability, access, and quality	Almost 4,000 deaths from protein–energy malnutrition in children < 15 years of age; DALYs not quantified by category
Air contaminants	Particulate matter, ground-level ozone, and other pollutant levels; air quality alerts; pollen timing and intensity	Unquantified
Extreme weather	Early warning systems, emergency preparedness plans, baseline infrastructure	Almost 1,000 annual deaths from unintentional injury associated with extreme weather
Population displacement	Political stability, services available to climate refugees	Unquantified

^aAdapted from Akachi et al. (2009), Bunyavanich et al. (2003), Ebi and Paulson (2007), and Shea et al. (2007).

^bAdapted from McMichael (2001a), WHO (2002a).