Features of the Operation of Epidemiological Surveillance Systems in the Context of Climate Change. An Analysis of International Experience

OBJECTIVE. To analyze the challenges faced by Ukraine’s epidemiological surveillance system as a result of climate change over the past decade and to systematize international experience in adapting epidemic control measures, infection prevention and control, and biosafety practices to high-temperature environments. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Content analysis of scientific publications from databases, regulatory documents, and WHO recommendations concerning the functioning of healthcare facilities and laboratories in hot regions. RESULTS. Climate change impacts the dynamics of vector-borne, enteric, and zoonotic infections. A reduction in the extrinsic incubation period in vectors (Culex, Aedes, Ixodidae) accelerates the transmission of vector-borne infections, including West Nile fever, dengue, and malaria. Prolonged periods spent in air-conditioned indoor environments during heatwaves increase the risk of respiratory pathogen transmission. In healthcare facilities, high temperatures promote biofilm formation, accelerate disinfectant degradation, and create optimal conditions for the proliferation of opportunistic pathogens (Legionella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Working in personal protective equipment (PPE) under hot conditions can cause heat stress and impair cognitive-motor functions, thereby increasing the risk of biosafety breaches during PPE removal (doffing). The vulnerability of the cold chain for immunobiological medicinal products and reagents during transport is also underlined. CONCLUSIONS. Under climate change conditions, transforming the country's current surveillance framework toward Integrated Disease Surveillance by incorporating meteorological indicators into Early Warning Systems is highly relevant. Protection modernization requires revising standard operating procedures (SOPs) for disinfection and WASH infrastructure, regulating working conditions for personnel wearing PPE, equipping epidemiological response teams with temperature-monitoring devices, and conducting risk communication training regarding public health threats.