Birds eye view of Kampala city. /KAMPALA AUTHORITIESAir pollution is imposing a heavy and growing burden on health for much of Africa’s population, resulting in deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, scientific evidence on the health effects of air pollution in East Africa shows.
The Health Effects of Air Pollution in East Africa study published this April found that exposure to air pollution is associated with a wide range of health effects throughout the life course.
It found that newborns in East Africa are disproportionately affected by air pollution, especially household air pollution from cooking, heating and lighting with biomass and coal.
The study focused on eight countries in the East African region: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
"In 2021, an estimated 83,000 newborns in the eight countries covered in this report were estimated to have died within the first month of life as a result of prenatal exposure to air pollution," the report said.
It found that air pollution, including ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution, is the second leading risk factor for deaths in East Africa, accounting for 294,000 deaths in 2021.
The leading risk factor for deaths is child and maternal malnutrition.
Between 2010 and 2021, the total number of deaths from air pollution increased by an average of 21 per cent in countries in the region, except in Rwanda where the number of deaths attributed to air pollution decreased by 33 per cent," the report said.
When broken down to specifics, the study found that the largest causes of death in East Africa in 2021 included cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections including tuberculosis, maternal and neonatal health outcomes, and neoplasms.
It showed that COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) were 89 per cent, followed by lung cancer (63 per cent); lower respiratory infection (61 per cent); stroke (56 per cent); ischemic heart disease (49 per cent); neonatal deaths (35 per cent) and diabetes (20 per cent).
Comparatively, unsafe sex, largely thought to be a risk factor for most deaths, accounted for way less fatalities compared to air pollution.
The research paper found that unprotected sexual encounters resulted in slightly over 100,000 deaths in 2021.
Alcohol use, another risk factor for deaths, accounted for less than 100,000 fatalities during the year under review, so did kidney dysfunction.
"Based on the available data, we recommend that the emerging data and scientific evidence on air pollution and health be used to continue informing policies that improve public health," the report said.
