HIGH Horizons

🌍 Our Research in the Spotlight: Safeguarding Maternal and Newborn Health Amid Climate Change We are proud to see The Irish Independent highlight our groundbreaking study, published in Nature Medicine (Springer Nature). This research, led by Dr. Darshnika Lakhoo, addresses the urgent health risks posed by rising temperatures for pregnant women and newborns. It’s a powerful call to action for policymakers and public health leaders globally. Key findings include: 👶 Pre-term births: A 1°C rise in temperature increases risk by 4%, and during heatwaves, by 26%. 🌍 Global disparity: Effects are 50% worse in low-income countries, exposing the unequal toll of climate change. ⬆️ Maternal risks: Higher temperatures lead to a 28% increased risk of gestational diabetes and nearly 50% increased risk of congenital anomalies. Prof. Matthew Chersich, Research Professor and Executive Director at Wits Planetary Health Research, stresses: "Heat exposure is a public health emergency, and we must act to protect the vulnerable." This pivotal study reflects the strength of global collaboration, with contributions from esteemed institutions and partners: University of the Witwatersrand, HIGH Horizons EU, Burnet Institute, Monash University, University of Sydney, The Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Ghent University, Trinity College Dublin, University of Oslo, University of Botswana (UB), University of Pretoria , South African Medical Research Council, University of Graz, University of Bremen, and University of Canterbury. 📖 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/e9YXGVWg 📘 Access the full study: https://lnkd.in/gNGDvpTZ Together, we can drive transformative change to protect maternal and newborn health in our warming world. #PublicHealth #MaternalHealth #ClimateHealth #ExtremeHeat #GlobalHealth #WitsPHR

Check out Dr Gloria Maimela (MBBCH,MBA) of Wits RHI's research on pregnancy and health featured by Wellcome Trust👇

Pregnant people are some of the most vulnerable to extreme heat, which is exacerbated by climate change. As the world warms, we must find ways to protect them. There are things that can be done at an individual level, such as drinking more water. But change must also happen at a broader policy level. Research can help provide solutions. Dr Gloria Maimela, Director of Climate and Health at Wits RHI in South Africa, is working on Wellcome-funded research aimed at achieving just that. Learn more about Gloria’s research: https://lnkd.in/e5QW_erz

Our latest digest is packed with job and funding opportunities, new research and resources, news and more 🙌 Don't forget to subscribe for monthly roundups of #HeatHealth news directly in your inbox 👇 https://lnkd.in/eyKiiuY2 World Meteorological Organization World Health Organization Heat Resilience & Performance Centre NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration COP29 Azerbaijan UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) Digital Square at PATH Copernicus ECMWF C40 Cities Wellcome Trust The Rockefeller Foundation

Looking forward to participating in this exciting session!!

Important findings by the HIGH Horizons EU group: not only do we have significant increases in #preterm births but also in chronic diseases like #diabetes. We need to prepare for a world in which we're ready to prevent and treat these health outcomes. AKA doubling down on primary healthcare services!

💡 🗞️ HIGH Horizons research is in the news! The Irish Independent published an article today about our essential study on extreme heat's impact on pregnancy published in Springer Nature earlier this month, led by Wits Planetary Health Research's Dr Darshnika Lakhoo. Findings include: 👶 For every 1C 👆 in temperature, the chances of pre-term birth 👆 by 4%. 🪭 During heatwaves, that first figure for pre-term births increased by 26% 🌍 🌎 🌏 There was a 50% difference in the size of the effect between rich and poor countries, demonstrating how unequal climate change effects can be. ⬆️ temperatures = 28% higher risk of gestational diabetes; close to a 50% higher risk of congenital anomalies. matthew chersich, executive director at Wits Planetary Health Research PHR and a research fellow at the School of Medicine, Trinity College, said: “Our research provides compelling evidence that heat exposure poses severe health risks for pregnant women and their babies, yet these risks are frequently underestimated, or simply ignored. “We are failing to uphold our principal oath as public health practitioners: to protect the well-being of the most vulnerable," said Chersich." It is time for a public health response to this public health emergency.” https://lnkd.in/e9YXGVWg Read the study: https://lnkd.in/gNGDvpTZ Wits Planetary Health Research PHR’s dedicated team was led by Darshnika Lakhoo alongside Prof. matthew chersich and including Nicholas Brink, Lebo Radebe, Dr Marlies H Craig, Duc-Minh Pham, Marjan Haghighi, Amy Wise, Ijeoma Solarin, Stanley Luchters, Dr Dr Gloria Maimela (MBBCH,MBA) (MBBCH,MBA), and the Heat-Health and HIGH Horizons EU Study Groups. WITS PHR partners who contributed to this research: admire chikandiwa, Britt Nakstad, Caradee Wright, Chloe Brimicombe, Karl-Günter Technau, Lois Harden, Melanie Boeckmann, Renate Strehlau, Robyn Hetem The study’s editors at Springer Nature (nature.com), Ming Yang and Joao Monteiro. 📌 Learn more about HIGH Horizons and our mission: www.high-horizons.eu   #PublicHealth #MaternalHealth #MNCH #MNH #ClimateHealth #Pregnancy #ExtremeHeat   Take a look at our research consortium partners ⤵ Ghent University Wits RHI Wits Planetary Health Research Lund University Karolinska Institutet World Health Organization University of Graz Aga Khan Health Services The Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe) DTU - Technical University of Denmark University of Thessaly European Climate-Health Cluster ⤵ @BlueAdaptEU, TRIGGER EU Project, CATALYSE Project, CLIMOS Project, and IDAlert

#DidYouKnow: Climate change makes pregnancy more perilous? Join the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to call on the world to help make motherhood safer by putting women and girls at the centre of #ClimateAction. Learn more: http://unf.pa/COP29 #COP29

🪭🥵 Heatwaves impact pregnant mothers and infants everywhere across the 🌍. 🏈 US research also finds ⬆️ higher rates of preterm births during heatwaves: this study from May found a 2% higher chance of premature births and 1% increase for early-term births during extreme heat. https://lnkd.in/eRtfxQBs #maternalhealth #climatehealth #extremeheat

Feeling honoured to be presenting this insightful research on heat exposure and its impact on healthcare worker well-being at the #GAPSYM17 Conference tomorrow. I shall be contributing to vital discussions on climate and health challenges in South Africa. ✨ #GAPSYM17 #ClimateAndHealth #HealthCareWorkers #ExtremeHeat #Migration #WitsRHI30 HIGH Horizons EU Ghent University