Health Risk Archives - Disasters News

May152025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Heat Rising, Risks Rising: Climate Change Threatens Global Maternal Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Fact Check

A new global analysis reveals that extreme heat, intensified by climate change, is endangering maternal health and birth outcomes around the world especially in vulnerable regions with limited access to healthcare. According to data from Climate Central, rising temperatures over the past five years have dramatically increased the number of high-risk heat days for pregnant women across the globe. The report assessed daily maximum temperatures between 2020 and 2024 in 247 countries, territories, and dependencies, as well as 940 major cities. It focused on what researchers call “pregnancy heat-risk days” those with maximum temperatures warmer than 95% of all historical temperatures at a given location. These conditions are closely associated with heightened risks of preterm birth and pregn...

May62025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Canada Faces a Dual Climate Crisis: Wildfire Smoke and Extreme Heat Threaten Public Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

As climate change intensifies, Canadians are increasingly being forced to cope with the combined threat of extreme heat and wildfire smoke two environmental hazards that not only overlap during the hottest months of the year, but also amplify each other’s impacts on health. From the devastating 2023 wildfire season to the deadly 2021 heat dome, recent events have shown that these climate risks are no longer isolated. Now, they’re occurring together more frequently, more intensely, and with serious health consequences. More Than Just Smoke or Heat: The Rising Danger of Combined Exposure While there’s robust scientific evidence linking wildfire smoke to hospitalizations for lung and heart conditions and heat waves to deadly strokes and cardiovascular stress most research has looked...

May32025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Study Warns Climate Crisis Could Worsen Global Antibiotic Resistance, Poorer Nations Most at Risk

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

A landmark forecasting study by Chinese researchers has revealed a troubling connection between climate change and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), predicting that global AMR levels could rise significantly by 2050 if fossil fuel-heavy development continues. Published today in Nature Medicine, the study projects a 2.4% global increase in AMR under high-emission climate scenarios with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) facing the brunt of the impact. But the study also offers a silver lining. If LMICs improve healthcare access, sanitation, and immunization, global AMR levels could fall by over 5%, more than double the projected impact of halving antibiotic use alone. Socioeconomic and Climate Pressures Driving AMR The research team, led by Peking Universi...

May32025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India’s Cooling Paradox: Toxic Air Slows Warming but Fuels a Public Health Crisis

Breaking News, Environment, Fact Check, Thoughts & Talks

India has warmed at a slower rate than other parts of the Northern Hemisphere over the past several decades. While this might seem like good news amid the global climate crisis, scientists warn it's not a reason for comfort. The culprit behind this phenomenon is a thick blanket of aerosols tiny particles suspended in the air from industrial emissions, fossil fuel combustion, and crop burning. These aerosols reflect sunlight and create a temporary cooling effect, but they are also responsible for dangerous levels of air pollution, resulting in millions of deaths annually. The country now faces a dangerous trade-off between curbing toxic pollution and accelerating climate warming, with serious implications for public health, environmental sustainability, and economic development. A Climate ...

Apr292025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Drought Heat & Dehydration: Kidney Disease Risk Rising in Colorado San Luis Valley

Breaking News, Climate Actions

New research shows that prolonged heat and dryness in Colorado’s San Luis Valley significantly increased the risk of kidney disease between 1984 and 1998. The findings highlight a direct link between climate change and human health particularly for agricultural workers in arid, drought-stricken regions. Kidney Health Threatened by Climate in High-Altitude Desert The San Luis Valley, North America's largest high valley desert, is now at the center of a disturbing trend: rising cases of kidney damage and disease linked to low humidity, rising temperatures, and long-term drought. A 15-year study, recently published in Weather, Climate, and Society, tracked health data from agricultural workers in the region and revealed a worrying pattern a 10% drop in humidity led to a 2% increase in a...

Apr172025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

WHO Extends Travel Restrictions on Pakistan as Polio Concerns Rise in Virus Spread

Breaking News, Climate Actions

The World Health Organization (WHO) has extended international travel restrictions on Pakistan for another three months due to the ongoing threat of polio particularly in regions like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan. Despite notable progress in Pakistan anti-polio efforts the virus continues to spread raising global alarm over its potential resurgence. This decision follows the WHO Emergency Committee 41st meeting on March 6, during which experts reviewed polio trends and the performance of affected countries. While acknowledging Pakistan intensified efforts and vaccination campaigns WHO officials highlighted significant gaps in virus containment especially at provincial and district levels. The most pressing concern is the surge in polio-positive environmental samples. In...

Apr82025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

wildfire Smoke Linked to Surge in Mental Health Emergencies harvard study finds

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Exposure to fine particulate air pollution from wildfire smoke is not only damaging to lungs and hearts it’s also harming mental health. according to a new study led by researchers at the harvard t.h. chan school of public health, short-term exposure to wildfire-specific pm2.5 has been linked to increased emergency room visits for mental health conditions across california. kari nadeau study’s senior author and chair of the department of environmental health “wildfire smoke isn’t just a respiratory issue it affects mental health, too our study suggests that smoke itself, in addition to the trauma wildfires cause, may directly worsen conditions like depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.” Study to isolate the specific effects of wildfire-related pm2.5 on mental health. while previou...

Apr42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

L.A Wildfires Leave 700,000 Children Displaced from Schools Experts Urge Urgent Focus on Mental Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

The devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025 destroyed more than 15,000 buildings in just a few days. Among them were 11 schools and 30 child care centers. As a result, over 700,000 children had their education and daily routines suddenly disrupted. The fires started on January 7 in Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon, near Altadena. Strong winds pushed the flames through neighborhoods, making it one of California’s five worst wildfires ever. While much of the news focused on property damage and loss of life, the challenges faced by children after the disaster received very little attention. Two experts from the University of Southern California one a disaster epidemiologist, the other a disaster planner say that when a disaster hits your own community, it ...

Mar202025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Records Earliest Heatwave and Warm Nights in 2025 Break 125 Year Old Records

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

India has recorded its earliest heatwave and warm nights in 2025, marking a concerning trend in rising temperatures. On February 25, 2025, Goa and Maharashtra experienced the first heatwave of the year making it the first time a heatwave has been recorded during winter (January–February) according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). IMD also confirmed that February 2025 was the hottest February in 125 years. The impact of extreme temperatures has been felt in Odisha and Jharkhand which recorded their earliest heatwaves in four years. On March 15 Odisha’s Boudh registered the highest temperature in India, reaching 43.6°C on March 16. Jharsuguda followed with 42°C, while Bolangir recorded 41.7°C. These extreme heat conditions arrived much earlier than in previous years indicatin...

Mar202025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Smoke from Wildland Urban Fires Poses Greater Health Risk Than Remote Wildfires

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Smoke from fires that rage through wildland-urban interface (WUI) areas where human development meets wildland vegetation has a significantly higher health impact than smoke from wildfires in remote areas, according to a groundbreaking study published in Science Advances. The research, led by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), reveals that emissions from WUI fires are about three times more likely to contribute to premature deaths annually than emissions from wildfires in general. The reason: WUI fires burn closer to populated areas, exposing more people to harmful pollutants like fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone. Rising Risk of WUI Fires The wildland-urban interface has been expanding globally, now...