Rain Babies: Weather changes may cause premature births in the Amazon

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The health of babies born in the Amazon rainforest is affected by erratic weather conditions and floods caused by climate change.

Luke Parry and his colleagues from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom compared rainfall levels to the birth weights and pregnancy durations of nearly 300,000 babies born in the Brazilian Amazon between 2006 and 2017.

They noticed that after extreme weather conditions like flooding and droughts, babies in riverside villages were more likely to be born early (before 37 weeks) and underweight. Prematurity and low birth weight are related to adverse educational, physical, and economic results during life and future generations.

Rain Babies

Babies born during periods of heavy rainfall weighed on average 183 grams less than babies born at other times, with the difference growing to 646 grams in the lowest socioeconomic classes. This disparity is greater than in previous research looking at the impacts of adverse weather on babies in India, Mexico, and Vietnam. The trend was shown even when pregnancy length was taken into account – in other words, the reduced birth weight wasn’t attributed purely to prematurity.

Flooding in the Amazon

Flooding in the Amazon due to extreme weather means pregnant women have less access to nutritious food due to crop loss. They are more likely to catch infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, which flourish in wet habitats. Any of these causes are likely to play a part in low birth weight and premature birth. According to the researchers, anxiety and stress caused by floods may also play a part.

Because of global warming, the incidence and intensity of large flooding and droughts in the Amazon have risen in recent decades – floods in the Amazon basin are about five times more severe today than they were a century ago. President Jair Bolsonaro toured the Amazonas state last week as towns were once again flooded, displacing over 100,000 residents.

“It’s vital to mitigate the effects of climate change, but it’s also critical to assist Amazonians in adapting especially riverside communities,” he says.

When an infant is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it is known as preterm birth or premature birth. In the United States, one out of every ten babies were delivered early. Premature babies can have difficulties with breathing, infections, or brain development.

According to research, women with asthma and black mothers are more likely to give birth prematurely. Living in places where there is flaring or higher levels of emissions and having long-term higher levels of stress can raise the likelihood of having an unfavorable pregnancy outcome.

Source: Nature World News

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