This thematic brief argues that climate change has both direct and indirect impacts on people’s health. Extreme events such as floods can cause deaths, injuries and disability, and can be followed by infectious diseases (such as cholera) and malnutrition due to crop damage and disruption of food supply. Indirect health impacts are often associated with mental health impacts such as stress, anxiety and depression. The summary advices planners and policy makers to assess possible risks to public health and develop strategies to support community level adaptation and preparedness to extreme weather events. The brief is part of a four-part series by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) which highlights lessons learned from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (known as SREX).