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Objectives.: Motivation for the study. No study conclusively recommends the use of medicinal plants to treat COVID-19 symptoms, and their indiscriminate use may present health risks. Main findings. Sixty percent of participants consumed medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This was particularly true for those living in the Peruvian highlands and individuals with family members diagnosed or deceased from COVID-19, who perceive a higher risk of infection and use medications or chlorine dioxide as preventive measures. Implications. Communication strategies emphasizing validated preventive practices and educating about the risks of consuming medicinal plants should be tailored to the predominant characteristics of the consumer. Determine the factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants as a preventive measure against COVID-19 in the Peruvian population., Materials and Methods.: A population over 18 years of age, living in Peru and without a history of COVID-19 disease, was evaluated. The factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants were evaluated using a Poisson regression model with robust variances., Results.: Of the 3231 participants included, 84.6% were young adults (18-29 years old), 62.7% were women, and 59.7% consumed a medicinal plant to prevent COVID-19 infection. The factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 infection were residing in the Peruvian highlands, having had a family member diagnosed with COVID-19, having had a family member die from COVID-19, considering their family to be at increased risk of infection, having used medications or chlorine dioxide to prevent COVID-19, having medical information as the main source of information about COVID-19, thinking that medicinal plants are effective in preventing COVID-19 disease, or not being informed about their effectiveness., Conclusion.: Sixty percent of the participants reported having consumed a medicinal plant to prevent COVID-19. Authorities must apply communication strategies about the implications of consuming medicinal plants, prioritizing population groups with higher consumption patterns.

South America is experiencing the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. These effects interact with existing social vulnerabilities, exacerbating their impact on the health and wellbeing of populations. This viewpoint highlights four main messages from the series, which presented key gaps from five different perspectives of health and climate. First, there is an overall need for local analyses of priority topics to inform public policy, which include national and sub-national evidence to adequately strengthen responses and preparedness for climate change hazards and address relevant social vulnerabilities in South American countries. Second, research in health and climate is done in silos and the intersection is not clear in terms of responsibility and leadership; therefore, transdisciplinary research and action are key. Third, climate research, policies, and action need to be reflected in effective funding schemes, which until now are very limited. For adaptation and mitigation policies to be effective, they need a robust and long-term funding scheme. Finally, climate action is a big opportunity for healthier and more prosperous societies in South America, taking the advantage of strategic climate policies to face the challenges of climate change and tackle existing social inequities., Competing Interests: MYG, LBV, and MR were supported by the Wellcome Trust (209734/Z/17/Z). MR was also supported by Horizon Europe–ID Alert, and MFS by the Brandt Endowment in Environmental Communication at Michigan State University during the conduct of the study. AGL is sponsored by Emerge, the Emerging Diseases Epidemiology Research Training grant D43 TW007393 awarded by the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health. The funding sources had no role in the design of this study nor during its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data, or decision to submit results. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. DB is a staff member of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The author alone is responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of PAHO., (© 2023 The Author(s).)