Climate change has caused a sharp spike in the rate of tropical disease outbreaks in European countries, where rising temperatures and extreme weather events have made it habitable for sand fly populations in unexpected regions. Cases of Leishmaniasis, Dengue, Zika, and West Nile Virus are all on the rise at a concerning rate. Thus far, a lack of preparedness across European governments to identify and address this risk is contributing significantly to the spread of these often fatal diseases.

The project will establish a digital system comprised of machine learning-powered predictive models, publicly accessible risk mapping and information services to improve the response of European public health systems to climate change-induced outbreaks. By collecting climate and sand fly data from 29 entities and 16 countries on the drivers of SFBDs across Europe, CLIMOS is creating the first standardised dataset of its kind. This data is then used to train a Sand Flies Extreme Population Prediction (FEPO) AI model to identify patterns and predict when and where sand flies are most likely to appear. The initiative seeks to bridge the knowledge gap in the public health sector, which has so far left it ill-equipped to respond to this threat.

The collaboration with F6S will help bring together stakeholders from governments, universities, top public health startups, local communities, and healthcare institutions, who can use this data to enable faster detection and treatment of these previously rare diseases in Europe. The European Union-funded team includes top data science startups like Pedictia, Cubex Lab, and Zentrix Lab, as well as leading AI company TriLateral Research and academics from the University Nova of Lisbon and the Ministries of Health of Israel, Italy and Turkey. The project’s ultimate goal is to minimise the risk of exposure to SFBDs and the negative health impacts of climate change.

Sean Kane, Co-Founder and Chairman of F6S, said: “Climate change is bringing tropical and other diseases to Europe that doctors, nurses, and hospitals have rarely – or never – seen before. The CLIMOS project’s artificial intelligence tools make it possible to turn vast swathes of data into disease-specific alerts that help health professionals save lives. It also facilitates cross-sector collaboration that can significantly improve responses to the changing global public health landscape across the board.”

Suzana Blesic, Researcher at the Institute for Medical Research at the University of Belgrade, CLIMOS, said: “The CLIMOS project showcases the urgent need for greater cross-disciplinary approaches to climate-change-related health problems in Europe. It seeks to enable more efficient public health responses by providing valuable insight into the environmental drivers of future SFBD spread alongside training to assist health sector preparedness. This, in turn, will equip the sector with the tools they require to communicate these issues to the general public more effectively and drive widespread adoption of best practices.”

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