Climatic factors under the tropics

This chapter examines the impact of climatic factors on health and disease in tropical zones. The tropics are the regions surrounding the Equator, delimited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere. We examine the physical determinants that define the tropics and their direct and indirect roles in the maintenance of health and induction of disease. We discuss the influence of geographical features on ecosystems and living organisms, interactions that can promote the onset of disease (with cases studies) in different ecosystems, and anthropogenic changes and their impact on the ecosystem and, consequently, on human health. These physical constraints of the climate interfere largely with sociocultural and economical issues (see dedicated chapters), creating specific epidemiological conditions under the tropics.