Study links rising temperatures to spike in stillbirths across Africa

Heat stress on mothers can disrupt foetal development and increase complications during labour. [Courtesy]

Babies whose mothers were exposed to extreme heat in the week before childbirth faced a 34 per cent higher risk of stillbirth or neonatal death within 24 hours of delivery, a new study has revealed.

The research published in Nature Medicine, found a strong link between high temperatures in the final week of pregnancy and an increased risk of perinatal death across sub-Saharan Africa.