Available online 13 January 2023, 100667

The spread of communicable diseases will be significantly impacted by the climate crisis.

Much of the existing literature does not adequately capture how this will be observed in the GCC nations.

Greater investment in public health research and disease surveillance will be required to better forecast the imminent epidemiological landscape.

Such research will require a cross-border, transdisciplinary, approach to assure that such investigations are appropriate and effectively communicated.

A review of the extant literature reveals the extent to which the spread of communicable diseases will be significantly impacted by climate change. Specific research into how this will likely be observed in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is, however, greatly lacking. This report summarises the unique public health challenges faced by the GCC countries in the coming century, and outlines the need for greater investment in public health research and disease surveillance to better forecast the imminent epidemiological landscape. Significant data gaps currently exist regarding vector occurrence, spatial climate measures, and communicable disease case counts in the GCC - presenting an immediate research priority for the region. We outline policy work necessary to strengthen public health interventions, and to facilitate evidence-driven mitigation strategies. Such research will require a transdisciplinary approach, utilising existing cross-border public health initiatives, to ensure that such investigations are well-targeted and effectively communicated.

Climate change

Communicable disease

Middle East

© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.