Climate change increasing risk of pregnancy problems
18 May 2025 10:03am
Photo for illustration purpose only. - Bernama file photo
PARIS - Scorching heatwaves fuelled by global warming are increasing the risk of dangerous complications during pregnancies across the world, a report warned recently.
Being exposed to extreme heat while pregnant has previously been linked to a range of problems, including a higher risk of premature birth, stillbirth, birth defects and gestational diabetes. In 222 out of the 247 countries and territories studied, "climate change at least doubled the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days experienced during the past five years", the report said. - Photo illustrated by Sinar Daily
The new report from the US-based research group Climate Central sought to measure how much more pregnant women have been exposed to excessive heat since 2020 -- and to what extent climate change is to blame.
In 222 out of the 247 countries and territories studied, "climate change at least doubled the average annual number of pregnancy heat-risk days experienced during the past five years", the report said.
The biggest increases were in developing countries where access to healthcare is limited, such as in the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Pacific islands, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The researchers only looked at the rise in potentially dangerous hot days and did not examine the extent to which pregnant women were actually affected by heat in the countries.
Ana Bonell, a maternal health and extreme heat researcher at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine not involved in the report, said it "gives clear evidence of the growing exposure risk to extreme heat".
The findings could also apply to the elderly, another group who are more at risk during blisteringly hot periods, she told AFP.
While researchers are increasingly documenting the many ways that extreme heat can threaten human health, there remain "many unknowns" about the physiological mechanisms to explain why this happens, Bonell said.
A large 2024 study in Nature Medicine estimated that heatwaves increase the odds of having a complication during pregnancy by 1.25 times.
Beyond wider efforts to fight climate change -- which is largely caused by humans burning fossil fuels -- experts advised local policies to help communities beat the heat.
These include "greening neighbourhoods, limiting pollution, creating cool areas and informing residents about the risks," French epidemiologist Lucie Adelaide said.
In a statement linked to the new report, she also recommended that existing information about the health risks of heatwaves include warnings for pregnant women, who are currently rarely mentioned in such efforts. - AFP
More Like This
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
African Swine Fever: Farmers reminded not to misuse movement permits
TASEK GELUGOR: Pig farmers and traders in Penang, especially in Kampung Selamat here, were reminded not to misuse the Movement Permission Account (AKP) or transfer permits by using the names of other farms to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). Penang Veterinary Services Department (JPVPP) director Dr Saira Banu Mohamed Rejab said they are also prohibited from moving sick pigs or those confirmed positive for the disease to slaughterhouses. "Such actions are not only against the law but also pose a high risk of spreading ASF infections to other farms and areas, as currently the infected pigs are under control, and we hope no further spread occurs. "JPVPP has strengthened the enforcement and monitoring of slaughterhouses, while also conducting continuous surveillance to ensure that other farms remain ASF-free," she told Bernama on Wednesday (Aug 20). She said so far, four farms in Kampung Selamat have been confirmed positive for ASF, and 21 pig samples from slaughterhouses have also tested positive for ASF. Saira Banu added that investigations and sampling revealed that all farms linked to positive cases at slaughterhouses were negative at the farm level, except for one farm in Kampung Selamat. However, she said pigs confirmed positive at that farm did not show any symptoms or clinical signs of ASF, and the herd was quarantined for 14 days, with repeat tests returning negative results. "Therefore, the number of ASF-positive farms remains at four, and so far, 351 pigs have died on the farms, while 1,709 pigs have been culled using CO₂ gas across the four ASF-positive farms," she said. On July 12, three pig farms in Kampung Selamat were confirmed positive for ASF based on laboratory test results by the Northern Region Veterinary Laboratory, with two of them recording high mortality rates before another farm was confirmed infected on July 27. Kampung Selamat has 63 pig farms with about 120,000 hogs.- Bernama
Barnama
3 hours ago
- Barnama
ASF: Pig Farmers, Traders Reminded Not To Misuse Movement Permits
TASEK GELUGOR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Pig farmers and traders in Penang, especially in Kampung Selamat here, were reminded not to misuse the Movement Permission Account (AKP) or transfer permits by using the names of other farms to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). Penang Veterinary Services Department (JPVPP) director Dr Saira Banu Mohamed Rejab said they are also prohibited from moving sick pigs or those confirmed positive for the disease to slaughterhouses. "Such actions are not only against the law but also pose a high risk of spreading ASF infections to other farms and areas, as currently the infected pigs are under control, and we hope no further spread occurs. "JPVPP has strengthened the enforcement and monitoring of slaughterhouses, while also conducting continuous surveillance to ensure that other farms remain ASF-free," she told Bernama today. She said so far, four farms in Kampung Selamat have been confirmed positive for ASF, and 21 pig samples from slaughterhouses have also tested positive for ASF. Saira Banu added that investigations and sampling revealed that all farms linked to positive cases at slaughterhouses were negative at the farm level, except for one farm in Kampung Selamat. However, she said pigs confirmed positive at that farm did not show any symptoms or clinical signs of ASF, and the herd was quarantined for 14 days, with repeat tests returning negative results. "Therefore, the number of ASF-positive farms remains at four, and so far, 351 pigs have died on the farms, while 1,709 pigs have been culled using CO₂ gas across the four ASF-positive farms," she said. On July 12, three pig farms in Kampung Selamat were confirmed positive for ASF based on laboratory test results by the Northern Region Veterinary Laboratory, with two of them recording high mortality rates before another farm was confirmed infected on July 27.
Barnama
5 hours ago
- Barnama
Govt Supports High Impact R&D Investment, To Empower Industry Competitiveness
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The government agrees with the view that there is a need to increase investment in the country's research and development (R&D), especially in competitive R&D activities that focus on the industrial sector. Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang said this is because one of the main challenges facing the country at present is the existing R&D capabilities that are still not able to generate high returns on investment. "The average R&D is currently in the pre-commercialisation phase and needs to be driven to a higher phase that is closer to commercialisation," he said when winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) motion for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in the Dewan Rakyat today. He said this in response to the proposal by Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu) for the country's R&D investment to be increased. To overcome these constraints, Chang said the government saw great potential through regional technology development and ASEAN efforts through ASEAN Startup, which was seen as capable of attracting more regional technology talents to open businesses in Malaysia, thus increasing the country's R&D competitiveness. Based on data, he said investment in experimental R&D increased to 60.97 per cent in 2022, but only 0.3 per cent of business enterprises invested in R&D activities. He said this showed that the private sector was still less active in R&D investment and special incentives needed to be created to stimulate their interest. 'Within the context of MOSTI's jurisdiction, various measures have been implemented, including implementing the Malaysia Science Endowment (MSE) to develop alternative financing that leverages the collaboration of various parties. 'In addition, the implementation of a mission-based initiative, namely the Mission Oriented Initiative, to unify the entire research, development, innovation, commercialisation agenda under a strategic mission that is clearly directed and centred on solutions to critical issues at the national level,' he said.
