Climate Change, Environment, Health Care

Extreme cold temperatures cause death of 133 children under the age of five

Climate change continues to wreck havoc in Peru’s southern Altiplano, where the arrival of freezing temperatures since March — almost three months earlier than usual — have killed more than 133 children.

The extreme cold has claimed the lives of 133 children so far this year, Radio Radio Programas, or RPP, reported on Monday. Most of the deaths were registered in Puno, an important agricultural and livestock region located in southeastern Peru.

According to the Health Ministry, more than 13,000 other children are suffering from pneumonia. Although this number is significant, it is down 17 percent from the same period in 2008 and 3 percent from 2007.

During the months of April and May, temperatures frequently dropped below freezing point in Puno.

Comments are closed.