Africa: Climate Change Is Becoming a Pregnancy Hazard Worldwide, Survey Finds

What the report says

Extreme heat is emerging as a pregnancy and newborn health risk worldwide, according to a survey reported by Inter Press Service and republished by AllAfrica. The findings were released in Fiji as climate ministers met ahead of the COP31 climate summit and at the launch of the Birthright campaign, which calls for stronger protection for pregnant women, babies and healthcare workers as temperatures rise.

The survey, commissioned by the global health foundation Wellcome, gathered responses from 1,001 maternal-health professionals in Australia, Brazil, India, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. Nearly all respondents said they had cared for pregnant women or newborns whose health they believed had been affected by extreme heat. Many also said heat-related complications had increased over the past five years, with especially high levels reported in Zimbabwe.

Health workers described a range of problems they associated with hot weather, including cramps, fatigue, breathing difficulties, dehydration, low birth weight, preterm birth, and in some cases pregnancy loss or stillbirth. The survey did not try to prove heat caused each case, but reflected the professionals’ clinical judgment and experience. It also found that heat was straining care settings through staff fatigue, power and cooling disruptions, medicine-storage problems and harder access to facilities.

UN climate official Simon Stiell said the results show pregnancy and childbirth have become a new climate vulnerability. More broadly, the report adds to growing evidence that rising temperatures can intensify risks for mothers and infants, especially where health systems are already under pressure.