Ojone Ofagbor

Climate change is quietly transforming the health landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), bringing urological conditions, once considered secondary, into sharper focus. As temperatures across the region rose by about 1.5 °C between the 1980s and 2010s, communities began to face new and intensifying health challenges. Everyday realities like dehydration, heat stress, and water scarcity have become more than just discomforts, they are now driving a rise in kidney stones, particularly in fast-growing cities where hydration and diet are increasingly unpredictable.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has also become more common. Once affecting fewer than 5% of the population in the 1980s, it now impacts nearly 18%, driven by both climate-related stress and a surge in non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Bladder cancer, especially forms linked to urogenital schistosomiasis, has seen a steady rise too, with men particularly affected. Although efforts such as widespread praziquantel distribution have reduced Schistosoma haematobium prevalence from over 50% to around 15–18%, the long-term damage it causes remains a serious concern.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially among women and children, have also grown more common, exceeding 5,200 cases per 100,000 by the 2010s. These are often worsened by antibiotic resistance, limited access to clean water, and poor diagnostic infrastructure, leaving many without proper care.

Altogether, these shifts signal something deeper: climate change is not only fueling infectious disease outbreaks, it’s also intensifying the burden of non-communicable urological diseases. Even everyday medical decisions, like prescribing diuretics for high blood pressure, now require climate-aware thinking, as dehydration risks grow in hotter environments.

Yet, urological health remains largely absent from climate policy, health system planning, and clinical guidelines across SSA. That needs to change.

There is a real opportunity here: by integrating urological conditions into the climate-health agenda, strengthening data collection, improving diagnostic services, and designing locally relevant interventions, we can build a more resilient and equitable healthcare system. The rising burden of urological disease in SSA is a warning, but also a call to action to protect millions from preventable harm.