AMA calls for climate change action

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has urged world leaders to take a stand on climate change to prevent the spread of malaria.

Dr Andrew Presce, federal president for the AMA, said that failing to do so could result in the disease becoming prevalent in countries which are currently unaffected by it.

He said: "World leaders must not only discuss the causes, they must also start planning for the health effects. It is important that a global action plan on climate change and health emerges from the Copenhagen summit."

Dr Presce commented that the AMA believes that climate change is a major threat to worldwide health and urgent action must be taken.

He said that environment issues could have a large role in changing patterns of the rate of diseases spreading.

This warning comes shortly after World Vision released its Climate Change Threats to Health document, which stressed the dangers that the environment poses to malaria, malnutrition and diarrhoea.

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