Nepal, Sept. 14 -- The immediate priority after the Bhotekoshi flood on August 26 was understandably rescue and emergency medical care. Yet the latest reporting from Rasuwa and Nuwakot shows that the public-health consequences are continuing: damaged roads and bridges have made hospitals difficult to reach, pregnant women have faced interruptions in antenatal and delivery care, displaced families remain in temporary shelters, and essential medicines and routine services have been strained.

That reality goes beyond Bhotekoshi, to the heart of how Nepal should understand climate change and disaster risk.

My experience in public health and infectious diseases has taught me an important lesson: many health risks do not appear suddenly. Smal...