Climate change not only affects the environment but it also has a negative impact on other sectors like human health, the Department of Health (DOH) said. Weather events such as El Nino, storms, floodings, among others may increase in frequency because of climate change, said DOH Undersecretary and Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire. “If our environment is affected by these changes in our climate, definitely, magkakaroon po tayo ng output ng mga (we will have an output of) illnesses,” she said during a media forum on Tuesday, March 28. During the dry season, it is likely that water supply problems will occur and this can have health consequences, said Vergeire. “Unang-una na diyan pag may krisis sa tubig walang makuhanan ng ligtas na inumin ang ating mga kababayan at diyan mag-uumpisa maari ang epidemya ng gastrointestinal problems, nandyan ang cholera, typhoid, food  and waterborne illnesses like bloody diarrhea, hepatitis (When there is a water crisis, our citizens will not have access to safe drinking water and that is where the epidemic of gastrointestinal problems will start like cholera, typhoid, food and waterborne illnesses like bloody diarrhea, and hepatitis),” she said. Cases of leptospirosis and dengue, meanwhile, may also rise during the rainy season, said Vergeire. Recently, the DOH convened the Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) “to discuss ways to strengthen measures to address emerging environmental issues affecting public health and safety.” “We have already convened them as early as last year dahil gusto natin pagtuunan ng pansin itong mga iba't-ibang sakit na kumakalat sa ating bansa (because we want to focus on these various diseases that are spreading in our country),” said Vergeire. “Not just because meron transmission ng sakit (there is disease transmission), not just because there are determinants of health: katulad ng (like) housing condition, income level, education, but most importantly because there are these changes in our climate which is causing ill health to our population,” she added. Vergeire vowed that the Health department will continue to provide assistance in addressing climate change. “We support the government's effort for us to address the changes in our climate and specifically to our communities,” she said.