Figure - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
Temperature extremes vary across Africa. A continent-wide examination of the impacts of heat on health in Africa, and a synthesis of Africa-informed evidence is, however, lacking. A systematic review of articles published in peer-reviewed journals between January 1992 and April 2019 was conducted. To be eligible, articles had to be Africa-specific,...
Context in source publication
Citations
... Extreme heat is responsible for more fatalities in the United States than any other weather phenomenon and is a global health concern (Luber and McGeehin, 2008;Mora et al., 2017;Manyuchi et al., 2022). Those most susceptible to extreme heat events include the elderly, children, individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, and outdoor laborers (Semenza et al., 1999;Braga et al., 2002; g., Voelkel and Shandas, 2017;Santamouris, 2020;Hsu et al., 2021). ...
Systematic studies of temperature using consistent, field-validated methods are needed to make inter-and intra-urban heat comparisons and to prioritize resources and mitigation strategies. This study investigated spatial patterns of heat hazard across 10 small-to medium-sized cities in Virginia, USA, using a community science approach. Air temperature data were collected on a high-heat day in July 2021, employing a network of 213 volunteers. Geolocated one-second temperature and humidity measurements were used to create and validate 10-m resolution temperature models for each locality. Results indicate substantial intra-urban temperature differentials even in the smallest localities, averaging 3.2 • C for the morning, 5.1 • C for the afternoon , and 4.9 • C for the evening. The average cooling rate for the region was 0.28 • C per 10 % increase in tree cover. Census Block Groups with highest percentages of people of color and historically redlined neighborhoods exhibited elevated temperatures, highlighting environmental justice (EJ) implications. Socioeconomic variables less commonly used in EJ studies, such as educational attainment and employment status, were predictive of high-temperature areas in the smaller localities. Findings underscore the broad range of urban heat drivers and illustrate how community-based data can be used to prioritize policy and actions addressing extreme heat at local and regional scales.
... 35,36 Importantly, heat illness has been shown to exacerbate underlying conditions and chronic illnesses such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease. 37,38 Our results on the taxi drivers heat-health perceptions underscore the significant risk imposed on taxi drivers' overall health and well-being. In addition, the health and thermal comfort of taxi drivers ultimately affects commuters who sit in the taxis being driven by them. ...
Global warming, the increase in heatwaves and periods of intense heat, is a major problem across the world, including in South Africa. Heat exposure has adverse health impacts, ranging from dehydration and heat stroke to death. The transport sector and its users are vulnerable to heat exposure both in vehicles and in places where they wait for transport. We investigated the heat perceptions and experiences of minibus commuters and the minibus taxi industry in minibus taxis and minibus taxi ranks to inform an intervention to prevent adverse health impacts from heat exposure in the City of Tshwane. Commuters (n = 279), drivers and marshals (n = 46) reported feeling hot in minibus taxis and minibus taxi ranks, experiencing sweating, headaches, exhaustion and dizziness. Some participants reported opening windows and doors, drinking water/cold drinks, removing a jersey and fanning themselves to try and cool down. All participants suggested solutions to address heat exposure in minibus taxis and minibus taxi ranks, including more shelters and trees for shade, the provision of water, benches and potentially an air-conditioned building for waiting/holding periods between trips. In consultation with our stakeholders, we prepared educational awareness materials about heat risks to health and actions to take when it is hot, and these were distributed through the minibus taxi sector in the City of Tshwane. Future research needs include measuring temperatures in these settings and rolling out large-scale interventions to protect health and well-being in a changing climate.
... Figure 10 shows the mean projected change in annual heat-related mortality in some selected African countries for RCP6.0 during 2080-2099. Most African countries are already experiencing high temperatures and high heat-related mortality rates (Manyuchi et al 2022). At the end of the 21st century, some countries are projected to experience a significant increase in heat-related mortality. ...
Heatwaves in Africa are expected to increase in frequency, magnitude, and duration. This is significant because the health burden is only expected to worsen as heatwaves intensify. Inadequate knowledge of the climate's impact on health in developing nations such as Africa makes safeguarding the health of vulnerable groups at risk challenging. In this study we quantify possible role of human activity in heatwave intensification during the historical period, and project the future risk of heat-related mortality in Africa under two representative Concentration Pathways (RCP26) and (RCP60). Heatwaves are measured using the Excess Heat Factor (EHF); the daily minimum (Tn) and maximum (Tx) are used to compute the EHF index; by averaging the day's Tx and Tn. Two heat factors, significance (EHIsig) and acclimatization (EHIaccl) are combined in the EHF to quantify the total excess heat. Our results confirm that the recent intensification of heatwaves over Africa during the historical period is attributable atmospheric greenhouse gas forcing and changes in land use. The Return event highlights the potential future escalation of heatwave conditions brought on by climate change and socioeconomic variables. RCP26 indicates a substantial rise in heat-related mortality, with an increase from about 9,000 deaths per year in the historical period to approximately 23,000 deaths per year at the end of the 21st century. Similarly, the RCP60 showed an even more significant increase, with heat-related deaths increasing to about 43,000 annually. This study highlights the potentially growing risk of intensifying heatwaves in Africa under different emission scenarios. It projects a significant increase in heatwave magnitude, duration, frequency, and heat-related mortality. Africa's low adaptive capacity will amplify the impact, emphasizing the need for emissions reduction and effective adaptation measures.
Thermal hazards are a growing concern for cities through the urban heat island (UHI) effect, leading to increased mortality rates, greater energy consumption, and distressing social equity. Cities are compelled to re-evaluate climate-resilient planning to diminish heat-health risks. This review provides an overview of potential research directions after identifying the matters and constraints lacking in UHI evaluation and mitigation. A total of 203 records were examined to scrutinize domains like thermal hazard, discomfort, blue-green infrastructure, city morphology, adaptation-mitigation, and approaches to improve urban health. There was a notable lack of incorporation of multitudes of control variables. The review attempted to provide a multifaceted approach to provide more conclusive solutions. Strategies to overcome the frequent barriers of financing and space constraints were elaborated. The significance of minimal refurbishment zones to promote location-specific climate-responsive schemes that limit execution cost was elucidated. The review also suggested that attention is needed to address the inter-climate UHI problem, with the criticality of tropical warm-humid cities. Possible simulation of hierarchical action plans, which are running effectively at the administrative level, were further explored. The present review conclusively assessed major concerns of sustainable strategies and urban well-being by investigating the research gaps and elaborating relevant administrative measures.
Developing nations of the sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly in the form of rising temperatures and frequent heatwaves. These environmental changes, compounded by an unreliable power supply and insufficient medical infrastructure, have significantly increased the risk of heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke. HeatstrokeAware, an indigenous wearable device was designed and developed to continuously monitor environmental and physiological conditions when
worn on the human wrist, detecting early signs of heat stroke, and providing real-time alerts to users. The timely development of this device is crucial for attaining sustainable progress in the health sector, which is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals #3 (good health and well-being) and #13 (climate action). The device integrates temperature and humidity sensors with fuzzy logic algorithm to offer a compact, efficient, and user-friendly solution to mitigate the risks of heat stroke. Comprehensive testing carried out on the DHT11 sensor show that the accuracy for relative humidity and ambient temperature measurements were 75.40% and 96.04% respectively. On the other hand, testing carried out on the DS18B20 sensor show that the accuracy of the core body temperature was 98.55%. These results reveal the device's potential to generate timely heat stroke related alerts, thereby enhancing public health, especially in areas with limited access to healthcare. The paper includes a detailed literature review, an in-depth explanation of the methodology, and a discussion of the broader implications of this technology within the context of Nigeria's climate and healthcare challenges.