Climate change will affect people’s health both directly and indirectly. Heat stress and other heat related health problems are caused directly by very warm temperatures and high humidity. Similarly, warmer climatic condition may cause a sharp increase in the spread of vector borne diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever and encephalitis.Proactive health adaptation strategies are needed to protect the world’s most vulnerable people from the effects of climate change on human health and well-being. Public health planning and decision making need to shift from only focusing on relatively short term risks to the projected long term impacts of climate change. It will be increasingly important to address the links between climate and health at different timescales. To ensure that the health effects of climate change are not overlooked, the health sector needs improved integration into strategic planning in sectors such as water, agriculture and disaster management.