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Air pollution, second leading cause for death among children
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Air pollution is the second leading factor for death among children under five in 2021, after malnutrition, says a 2024 State of Global Air report.
The report linked it to a total of 709,000 deaths globally, representing 15 per cent of all under five deaths in children.
The report was produced by the State of Global Air Initiative, a collaboration between the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
According to the report, air pollution threatens children’s health and is the biggest environmental health risk factor.
It said, more than 70 per cent of these deaths were linked to household air pollution due to cooking with polluting fuels.
“Some major causes of air pollution harming children’s health includes air pollution from household, waste –related, traffic related, landscape fires like wildfires, secondhand smoke and dust and sand storms,” the report said.
According to the report, children were physically more exposed to the menace due to the fact that, young children breathe more rapidly than adults and take in more air relative to their body.
Also, it said children often spend more time outdoors and breathe air that is closer to the ground, which put them in closer proximity to sources of pollution like dust and vehicle exhaust.
The report also mentioned that children were physiologically more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their brains, lungs and other are still developing, adding that some air pollutants can cross the placenta and affect developing babies.
“Air pollution negatively affects many systems in children’s bodies, causing morbidity and mortality in the youngest of children, including neonates,” it added.
The report said, children who have been exposed to high levels of air pollution may be at greater risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease later in life.
The report advised parents, caregivers to reduce time spent in areas where pollution was high, such as near or around areas of severe traffic congestion or sources of industrial congestion.
It also advised that children avoid strenuous activity, saying play and exercise should be minimized, particularly if children have pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma or other respiratory infections.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Deputy National Women Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mimi Duah, has openly declared her support for Mavis Hawa Koomson as the next National Women’s Organiser of the party.
In a statement endorsing Hawa Koomson’s candidature, Ms Duah outlined four key reasons why she believes the former MP and Minister of State is best placed to lead the party’s women’s wing.
According to her, Hawa Koomson is a motherly figure who rose from the grassroots and is widely noted for her forgiving nature and ability to foster unity.
“She is a true grassroots mother who easily forgives, fosters unity, provides guidance and arbitrates to ensure all aggrieved party women are brought on board to ensure a unified women’s wing,” she stated.
Ms Duah also pointed to Hawa Koomson’s vast experience, having served as a Constituency Women’s Organiser, Member of Parliament and Minister of State, noting that the experience positions her to provide effective leadership as National Women’s Organiser.
She further described Hawa Koomson as capable of making the women’s wing resourceful, through her extensive network and business contacts, to lobby for logistics, training and financial support for women organisers at all levels.
Lastly, she said the NPP as an opposition party needs fearless, bold and assertive leadership at the women’s front to inspire regional, constituency and polling station women organisers as the party reorganises towards the 2028 elections.
“We need a Women’s Organiser who has been tested, who is bold, who understands grassroots women, and who can lead us to victory in 2028. Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson is that leader,” she stressed.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister inaugurates Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee
Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Minister, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has inaugurated the Ghana-Korea Heritage Project Steering Committee to provide strategic oversight for a five-year programme focused on preserving Ghana’s heritage sites and strengthening their resilience to climate change.
The project will support climate-risk mapping, digital surveying and 3D modelling, joint research, capacity building, community engagement and modern monitoring technologies.
Korea is also providing specialised equipment, including drones, 3D scanners, digital microscopes, thermal imaging cameras and GPS survey instruments, to enhance Ghana’s capacity to scientifically assess, document and conserve heritage structures.
The partnership, which will run through 2030 and beyond, is expected to deepen Ghana-Korea cultural ties while promoting sustainable, technology-driven and climate-adaptive heritage management for future generations.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
