Climate change, which for Malta meant longer heat waves and an increase in intense weather, could have serious repercussions on people's health, Bettina Menne, an expert in the subject said.

"It is estimated that 150,000 people died due to the effect of climate change in 2000," Dr Menne , who was in Malta to address a seminar on the health effects of climate change, organised by the Department for Environmental Health last week, said.

Even though diseases caused by climate change are only estimated to account for 0.4 per cent of diseases at the moment, that figure is expected to increase in the future.

"The increase in the frequency of weather changes, water scarcity, more areas subject to draughts and desertification and more areas affected by glacial lake outbreak floods will have an effect on people's health," she said.

As a Mediterranean country, Malta was in a transition zone between warm African-like climate in summer and a milder climate in winter. "Malta could be expecting some surprises because the transition periods are changing," she said, pointing towards the recent heavy precipitation as a potential such change.

Dr Menne, from the World Health Organisation's European office, said heat waves that sometimes took place in summer were potentially dangerous, especially when coupled with air pollution, something that was prevalent in Malta. "It is estimated that mortality rates go up by between five and 30 per cent during a heat wave, depending on its severity. This could be made even worse if air pollution was present," she said, adding that the most vulnerable were children and the elderly.

High on WHO's concern list was the possibility of agricultural problems, which would lead to malnutrition, extreme weather, increases in respiratory diseases and changes in the prevalence of infectious diseases.

"There will be some areas that will become too dry for infectious diseases but there will also be some areas seeing new infectious diseases."

She pointed out that, last year, the World Health Assembly resolution urged countries to take action to address climate change in health, including developing plans for the different scenarios that could arise.