This community innovation has been accepted at the 2026 DHIS2 Annual Conference as a physical poster.
Climate hazards and health service disruption
Climate change increasingly threatens the continuity of essential health services, particularly in countries with large geographic variation and uneven infrastructure. Ethiopia is highly exposed to climate hazards. Understanding how these hazards affect health service utilization at subnational and facility levels is critical for strengthening resilience and preventing service disruption. This analysis assessed the association between climate hazards and monthly utilization of essential health services using 2024 data. Climate hazard exposure was derived from newly released UNICEF climate datasets covering heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts. These data were spatially linked to health facility locations across Ethiopia. Monthly health facility service data for 2024 were extracted from DHIS2, focusing on selected essential services, including immunization and other priority maternal and child health indicators. Following data quality improvement, mixed-effects regression models were applied to estimate the association between climate hazards and service utilization while accounting for seasonality and geographic variation. Facility accessibility was incorporated using distance to paved roads as a modifying factor, recognizing that facilities in remote areas may be more vulnerable to climate-related disruptions. The analysis identified significant declines in service utilization associated with exposure to extreme weather events, with stronger effects observed in facilities located farther from paved roads. Results revealed substantial geographic heterogeneity, enabling identification of health facilities and districts at elevated risk of service disruption during climate shocks. This work demonstrates how integrating climate hazard data with DHIS2 routine service data can generate actionable insights for preparedness and response. The approach supports targeted interventions, such as pre-positioning resources and post-event catch-up strategies, to protect continuity of essential health services in high-risk settings.
Primary Author: Yoshito Kawakatsu
Keywords:
Ethiopia, climate change, climate hazards, DHIS2, health service utilization, immunization, extreme weather, floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms, tropical cyclones, health facility resilience