This trend is expected to have significant impacts on human health, agriculture, and the environment. The consequences of heatwaves are multifaceted and far-reaching. They can lead to heatstroke, dehydration, and other heat-related illnesses. In addition, heatwaves can cause crop failures, livestock losses, and damage to infrastructure.
The study found that high temperatures in the week before birth were associated with a significant increase in perinatal mortality. This association was observed across all four countries studied. The study also found that the association was stronger in areas with higher levels of poverty and lower access to healthcare.
“Our study shows that there is an urgent need to develop and implement interventions that protect pregnant women and their babies during heatwaves,” says co-lead author Jeroen de Bont, a postdoctoral researcher in Petter Ljungman’s research group at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet. In sub-analyses of heat-associated mortality by timing of death (before, during or after labour), the researchers observed trends towards increased stillbirths during labour, but not all estimates reached statistical significance. The next phase of the research needs to focus on redesigning maternity wards to mitigate the effects of heat on pregnant women and staff, including using improved construction techniques such as ceiling insulation, and creating adjacent green areas, which can bring additional health benefits. The researchers will also be studying how heat affects other maternal and childbirth outcomes, and how it interacts with environmental factors such as air pollution.
The study was primarily financed by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and was carried out in close collaboration with Makerere University, Uganda, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania, Centre de Recherche en Reproduction Humaine et en Démographie (CERRHUD), Benin, and Kamuzu University of Health Science, Malawi.
