Heating planet 'makes children sick'
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Heating planet 'makes children sick'*
By Tamara McLean
February 22, 2007 02:20pm
Article from: AAP
GLOBAL warming will take a toll on children's health, according to a new
report showing hospital admissions for fever soar as days get hotter.
The new study found that temperature rises had a significant impact on
the number of pre-schoolers presenting to emergency departments for
fever and gastroenteritis.
The two-year study at a major children's hospital showed that for every
five-degree rise in temperature two more children under six years old
were admitted with fever to that hospital.
The University of Sydney research is the first to make a solid link
between climate changes and childhood illness.
"And now global warming is becoming more apparent, it is highly likely
an increasing number of young children will be turning up at hospital
departments with these kinds of common illnesses,'' said researcher
Lawrence Lam, a paediatrics specialist.
"It really demonstrates the urgent need for a more thorough
investigation into how exactly climate change will affect health in
childhood.''
Dr Lam said the results, collated from The Children's Hospital at
Westmead admissions, back up beliefs that children are less able to
regulate their bodies against climate change than adults.
The brain's thermal regulation mechanism is not as well developed in
children, making them more susceptible to "overheating'' and at risk of
developing illness, he said.
"They're particularly at risk of extreme changes, much more than other
people.''
The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental
Health Research, analysed several different climate factors, including
UV index, rainfall and humidity, collected from the Bureau of
Meteorology in 2001 and 2002.
Temperatures were the only negative risk factor, with findings linking
heat to both fever and gastro disease but not to respiratory conditions.
Surprisingly, rates of gastroenteritis were lower on days with a high UV
factor probably, says Dr Lam, because the rays "sterilised'' the ground,
killing more germs and reducing risk.
He said it was still unclear whether the heat directly triggered the
illnesses or whether other heat-related problems, like pollution, were
responsible.
A longer-term study was needed add strength to the findings, Dr Lam said.