Health Impact of Flooding in the Town of Aboisso in Southeastern Côte d’Ivoire

One of the most widespread climatic effects in Africa is flooding. Generally caused by high rainfall, overflowing rivers, relatively flat sites, and proximity to the water table, they are amplified by numerous anthropogenic factors. This is the case of the town of Aboisso, which has been experiencing flooding since 2018. However, the recurrence of this phenomenon of hydric origin, with its corollaries of availability and proliferation of pathogens, is a concern for the population. Indeed, wastewater overflows caused by flooding increase the risk of infectious diseases. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to analyze the health impact of flooding due to climatic and anthropogenic factors in Aboisso. The methodological approach consisted of documentary research, field surveys, and direct observation. Several software programs were used to process the data. The analysis method used is the deductive approach. The results showed that the determinants of flooding in Aboisso are hydro-climatic and anthropogenic. The most recurrent pathologies in Aboisso, especially during periods of heavy flooding, are malaria (59%), acute respiratory infections (21%), anemia, which was the main cause of death in 2020 and 2021 (15%), and diarrheal diseases (5%). Finally, a number of resilience strategies (or actions to be taken to strengthen resilience to flood-related health risks in Aboisso were proposed) to flood-related health risks in Aboisso were proposed.