Extreme Heat Threatens Health of African Children

UNICEF report shows quadrupling heatwaves and rising child mortality rates
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Aug 14, 2024 9:15 PM CDT
Extreme Heat Threatens Health of African Children
Amadou Coulibaly, a motorcycle taxi driver, drinks a sachet water to cool off under a blazing sun in Bamako, Mali, on April, 18, 2024.   (AP Photo/Baba Ahmed, File)

Children in West and Central Africa are facing heightened health risks due to increasing extreme heat, as indicated by a newly released UNICEF report. The frequency of heatwaves in the area has risen fourfold since the 1960s, per the report. Earlier this year, an unprecedented heatwave in West Africa led to a noticeable increase in fatalities. Mali, for example, saw 102 deaths in just the first four days of April, versus 130 for the entire month of April last year.

This rising temperature trend is critically affecting the health of children and pregnant women, raising the prevalence of stillbirths, low birth weights, and preterm births. Exposure to high heat also heightens children's vulnerability to chronic diseases and infectious illnesses such as malaria and dengue, as highlighted by regional climate expert David Knaute from UNICEF. Central Africa is also grappling with an mpox outbreak, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, which mainly impacts children. In Congo, almost 70% of mpox cases and 85% of related deaths involve children under 15 years old. The World Health Organization has now classified this outbreak as a global emergency.

In response to this crisis, UNICEF is urging governments to take decisive action in curbing carbon emissions to manage escalating temperatures and safeguard children's futures. Knaute underscores the unjust reality that these children "are growing up in countries that have contributed almost nothing to climate change but are facing some of the toughest consequences." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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