New findings from the Lesotho Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (LePHIA) reveal a direct connection between climate change and public health outcomes. The data indicate that women and adolescent girls in rural Lesotho exposed to severe drought conditions are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, including sex work, and have higher school dropout rates.
“This is the first study to link climate shocks to the HIV epidemic since antiretroviral therapy became widely available in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr. Jessica Justman, senior technical director at ICAP, Columbia University, and lead investigator of the PHIA Project. She added, “This should serve as a warning that climate change can impact our lives in unexpected and harmful ways.”
