A new report by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) has revealed a troubling reality that air pollution is responsible for nearly 30 per cent of newborn deaths in East Africa.
The report, titled 'Health Effects of Air Pollution in East Africa: Current Evidence and Priorities for Future Action', highlights the deadly impact of household air pollution.
This pollution is caused by the widespread use of solid fuels like wood, charcoal, and coal for cooking, heating, and lighting.
In 2021 alone, it states that more than 76,000 newborns in the region are estimated to have died from prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with household air pollution accounting for over 90 per cent of these deaths.
While the region continues to battle infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, the report reveals a rising tide of noncommunicable diseases linked to environmental factors like air pollution.
In 2021, 31 per cent of deaths from noncommunicable diseases in East Africa were associated with exposure to polluted air.
"This convergence of infectious and chronic illnesses represents a growing 'double burden of disease' for the region, straining already fragile health systems and hindering socio-economic progress," the report states.
The health effects of air pollution go far beyond newborn mortality.
The report outlines a wide array of conditions linked to polluted air, including childhood pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and lung cancer.
Long-term exposure has also been associated with reduced lung function, impaired cognitive development in children, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s in adults.
For pregnant women, air pollution increases the risk of hypertensive disorders, stillbirth, miscarriage, and complications such as low birth weight and preterm delivery.
These risks are particularly acute in areas where access to clean energy and healthcare is limited.
Motivated by discussions at a 2023 scoping workshop, the HEI report calls for urgent, evidence-based action.
It stresses the need for more health studies on long-term air pollution exposure in East Africa and encourages governments, researchers, and health advocates to utilise existing data to inform policy and accelerate solutions.
Air pollution is no longer just an environmental issue—it is a critical public health emergency.
Reducing exposure through clean cooking initiatives, sustainable energy policies, and improved air quality monitoring, it says, could save thousands of newborn lives each year and safeguard the health of millions more across the region.
