Climate change and infectious diseases: translating evidence into action

Climate change is reshaping the global landscape and transmission of infectious diseases, posing a profound threat to public health systems. Despite a growing body of evidence on expanding transmission of infectious diseases due to climate change, translating this evidence into effective actions to reduce infectious disease burden remains insufficient. To address these challenges, we organized this special issue Climate Change and Infectious Diseases and synthesized new evidence on climate-sensitive infectious diseases and response frameworks. To bridge the implementation gap, we propose a core framework of four evidence-based strategies to mitigate impacts of climate change on infectious diseases, including strengthening health adaptation actions, applying innovative and comprehensive control measures, building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, and improving global governance and equity. We advocate for translating evidence into action to reduce infectious disease burdens in the context of global climate change, and policymakers, researchers, and clinical practitioners need to work together to achieve this important goal.