United States: Global warming is making those who are pregnant more vulnerable, and the effects aren’t limited to heat stress.
Modern studies prove that the conditions caused by heat are not only threats to life for most people but also pregnancy complications and the development of lethal diseases in pregnant women and their fetuses.
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In pregnancy, pregnant women are susceptible to being easily affected by viruses and environmental conditions. One of the threats comes from tiny insects: mosquitoes capable of transmitting a number of different diseases.
Dangerous diseases that pose a risk
Some of those diseases are very rare, such as West Nile and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). However, the sickness they cause is very severe and sometimes fatal to the general community.
Other diseases affecting people living in tropical regions include Oropouche virus disease, commonly referred to as ‘sloth fever, and Zika virus, which are lethal to pregnant women, CBS News reported.
The imminent risk would only grow – Experts
According to specialists’ observations, that risk would only increase in the future.
Our planet is getting warmer, mainly because of increased reliance on those fuel sources that emit pollutants that warm the Earth. The seasonal mosquito biting rates are on the rise, as is evident from the increased temperatures, elongating the disease susceptible period for the vulnerable groups.
However, this is only a small fraction of the mosquito risk compared to the vast danger that pregnant women are exposed to due to extremely hot temperatures.
According to doctors at the Association of American Medical Colleges, “Climate change hurts women more,” and, “Extreme weather is linked to pregnancy complications, increased violence, and inescapable exposure to pollution and heat,” CBS News reported.
Bite risk for pregnant women
To pregnant women, malaria bites are not only inconvenient; there are potential risks that directly endanger the fetus.
While these cases do remain rare in the US, the CDC says West Nile, Zika, and Oropouche viruses are all possible threats to pregnant people, with the latter two being especially perilous.
West Nile virus, the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the continental United States, can be passed from mosquitoes to a fetus, but the likelihood is low, and the CDC says only a few newborn infections have been reported.