ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug 19 (IPS) – Temperatures soared above 52° Celsius (125.6° Fahrenheit) in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province in May, prompting a surge in the health of vulnerable people. To cope, Samina Kanwal, a community health worker with Action Against Hunger, started work at 7am — the earliest possible time given safety protocols in the area — to travel door to door, helping those most at risk from the health effects of extreme heat, including heatstroke, brain problems and even hunger.
Of course, these consequences extend beyond Pakistan, as the world experiences the consequences of hottest day ever recorded this summer. The health consequences are real — and they are getting worse with the heat.
Heat is a health risk
Over time, heat puts a strain on the body as it tries to cool itself, worsening chronic conditions. asthma Unpleasant diabetesIt also causes complications during pregnancy and childbirth, with a high rate of premature births. increase after heat waves.
Heat related illness caused by exposure to high temperatures. Heat stroke can occur in just a few hours and can be associated with seizures, heart complications and brain swelling, with high mortality rates. In fact, heat-related deaths are worldwide increased by 74% from 1980 to 2016, and researchers write almost 40% of those deaths from climate change.
Diarrhea – the third leading cause of death in children under five years of age in average temperatures – is much more serious in extreme heat, when symptoms of severe dehydration and fluid loss are exacerbated. Although people are generally advised to drink more fluids as temperatures rise, this assumes access to clean water, which is not the case for more than 2 billion people worldwide.
Extreme heat affects brain health: cognitive function declines as temperatures rise. One study found that for every degree above 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit), standardized test scores dropped by 0.2 percent — assuming school was in session at all. In communities with limited resources, climate-controlled buildings are rare. To protect students, Pakistan’s Punjab province closed schools for a week this summer, 52% of school-going children At home.
Mental health also suffers from extreme heat. Warm days are associated with a higher risk of emergency room visits for substance abuse, mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia. Studies show that every 1° increase in temperature can increase suicide rates. The effects are more pronounced in agricultural areaswhere heat is damaging to harvests and economic prospects.
During the heat wave in May, the need for antibiotics and antipyretics (also known as antipyretics) became so great that Action Against Hunger, local authorities and other partners quickly came together to prevent shortages and manage other health risks, such as filling and carrying jugs of clean water. To reduce the impact on the women and girls who typically have to do this job, we expanded shaded areas around community water sources.
Heat and hunger
Drought and crop failures are clear effects of heat that affect food accessibility. High temperatures can dry out soils, reducing crop yields and increasing food prices. These effects will become more widespread as climate change accelerates, and are already affecting the nutrition of vulnerable populations.
Extreme heat is increasing chronic and acute malnutrition in several West African countries, an area vulnerable to deadly heat waves. In a 90-day period, just 14 days with temperatures between 86 and 95° led to a 2.2% increase in child mortality.waste“This happens when a child loses muscle and fat tissue and becomes too thin for his or her height.
For every 100 hours of exposure to a temperature above 35°C, “growth retardation“among children — where a child is too small for his/her age — increased by 5.9%.
Today, one in four children is malnourished. But researchers warn that if global temperatures rise by 2°, the rate of stunting due to heat exposure will increase. almost doubleWithout a concerted effort by the global community to limit climate change, the world is on track to cross this threshold, leading to devastating health consequences for children, families and communities.
Low-income countries will feel these effects the most, as most poorer countries located in regions that will be two to five times more vulnerable to heat waves than richer countries in the 2060s. These challenges are compounded by other climate impacts: Pakistan, one of the countries hardest hit by climate change, suffered a drought followed by historic floods that submerged crops and killed thousands of livestock that people depend on for basic food and income.
This zigzag between extremes has left more than two million people in need of emergency aid. The climate crisis is a health crisis. Paradoxically, heat makes it harder to take protective measures. And health systems are not well prepared to accommodate the extra influx of patients, in addition to the strain that heat waves place on everything from the supply chain to the electricity grid.
Solutions for the future
The good news is that work is in progress to create more climate-resilient health systemsLeaders are increasingly recognizing the need for a “one health“approach that addresses the interconnections between human and environmental health. We also need to ensure that the links between heat and hunger are central to that agenda.
Developing early action plans for climate change and leading simulation exercises for key stakeholders is critical to a solution. For example, we have implemented programs that has contributed to the agricultural benefits over time: Farmers were able to save 15% more seeds for the next crop cycle and conservation methods for rice and wheat stocks improved by 100%.
Beneficiaries also reported a 25% reduction in soil-related problems due to flooding, demonstrating the positive impact of the program on mitigating the effects of climate disasters. The introduction of irrigation systems and water management techniques helped farmers overcome weather-related challenges.
Solutions such as income generation, promoting climate-smart agricultural practices, climate-smart irrigation systems, providing treatment for severely malnourished children and additional health services are essential to creating a sustainable and thriving world in a time of rising temperatures.
Mohammed Aamir is Pakistan Country Director, Action Against Hunger
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service