In Sierra Leone, a recent report has shown that extreme heat exposure affects pregnancy and newborn health, further increasing rates of preterm birth and stillbirth as well as greater rates of hypertension in pregnant women.
This is a finding by Human Rights Watch.
Emerging research suggests care work, such as mothering newborns, is also negatively affected.
Suffice to note that in recent times, heat waves and extreme temperatures are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Medical experts in Sierra Loene opined that these elevated temperatures can trigger physiological stress responses in pregnant women, including altered blood flow to the placenta, dehydration, and inflammatory responses that can compromise maternal-fetal health outcomes.
Let’s have more on this conversation with Leeann Rizk, Country Director of The Mama-Pikin Foundation in Freetown.