Climate change and its impact on health is fast becoming a global crisis. The Aga Khan University is part of an international project that brings together leaders in climate change and health research to contribute to knowledge and policy advice on climate change and health impacts.
The project, Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health (ENBEL), aims to support global and national policy making on climate resilience. It is a consortium of 17 partners including Botswana, Kenya, and South Africa. ENBEL coordinates a network of international health and climate research projects funded by Belmont Forum and the EU.
Climate Heat and Maternal Neonatal Health Africa (CHAMNHA), a study led by AKU researcher Dr Adelaide Lusambili together with international partners, is one of the twelve research projects represented in ENBEL. This study, investigating the effect of climate change related heat exposure on maternal and neonatal health, found that heat exposure has detrimental effects on maternal neonatal health.
“At the community level, extreme heat may cause pregnant women to remain in their homes for fear of walking in the heat, thereby affecting their social relations and reducing attendance at both the antenatal and post-partum services. Heat exposure has a direct bearing on the newborn’s physical health and their ability to breastfeed as well as the mother’s ability to perform Kangaroo Mother Care for preterm babies,” says Dr Lusambili.
One of the ways the ENBEL project is creating linkages in this community is through a network called
CHANCE (Climate-Health Africa Network for Collaboration and Engagement). Formed in 2021, the network brings together over 40 climate change and health stakeholders based in Africa. The CHANCE network has so far held five virtual knowledge exchange meetings and will hold its first conference in June 2022 in Tshwane, South Africa.
“Bringing together climate change and health stakeholders will strengthen efforts to integrate health in climate change activities,” said Caroline Muthoni who is the ENBEL Project lead at Aga Khan University. “We need more collaboration efforts as solutions to climate change cannot be implemented in silos.”
Climate change and its impact on health is fast becoming a global crisis. The Aga Khan University is part of an international project that brings together leaders in climate change and health research to contribute to knowledge and policy advice on climate change and health impacts.
The project, Enhancing Belmont Research Action to support EU policy making on climate change and health (ENBEL), aims to support global and national policy making on climate resilience. It is a consortium of 17 partners including Botswana, Kenya, and South Africa. ENBEL coordinates a network of international health and climate research projects funded by Belmont Forum and the EU.
Climate Heat and Maternal Neonatal Health Africa (CHAMNHA), a study led by AKU researcher Dr Adelaide Lusambili together with international partners, is one of the twelve research projects represented in ENBEL. This study, investigating the effect of climate change related heat exposure on maternal and neonatal health, found that heat exposure has detrimental effects on maternal neonatal health.
“At the community level, extreme heat may cause pregnant women to remain in their homes for fear of walking in the heat, thereby affecting their social relations and reducing attendance at both the antenatal and post-partum services. Heat exposure has a direct bearing on the newborn’s physical health and their ability to breastfeed as well as the mother’s ability to perform Kangaroo Mother Care for preterm babies,” says Dr Lusambili.
One of the ways the ENBEL project is creating linkages in this community is through a network called
CHANCE (Climate-Health Africa Network for Collaboration and Engagement). Formed in 2021, the network brings together over 40 climate change and health stakeholders based in Africa. The CHANCE network has so far held five virtual knowledge exchange meetings and will hold its first conference in June 2022 in Tshwane, South Africa.
“Bringing together climate change and health stakeholders will strengthen efforts to integrate health in climate change activities,” said Caroline Muthoni who is the ENBEL Project lead at Aga Khan University. “We need more collaboration efforts as solutions to climate change cannot be implemented in silos.”