ABSTRACT
Popu lations, subgroups, and systems that cannot or will not adapt are more vulnera ble, as are those who are more susceptible to weather and climate changes. Understanding a population's ca pacity to adapt to new climate conditions is crucial to the realistic assessment of the potential health and other impacts of climate change 14 1 . I n general, the vulnerabi of a population to a health risk depends on the level of material resources, effectiveness of governance and civil institutions, quality of public health infrastructure, access to relevant local information on extreme weather threats, and existing burden of disease [5 1 . These factors are not uniform across a region or nation; rather, there are geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic differences.
