Weather and Infant Mortality in Africa

Torsten Persson (), Strömberg, David and Masayuki Kudamatsu
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: David Strömberg

No 9222, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: We estimate how random weather fluctuations affected infant mortality across 28 African countries in the past, combining high-resolution data from retrospective fertility surveys (DHS) and climate-model reanalysis (ERA-40). We find that infants were much more likely to die when exposed in utero to much longer malaria spells than normal in epidemic malaria regions, and to droughts in arid areas, especially when born in the hungry season. Based on these estimates, we predict aggregate infant deaths in Africa, due to extreme weather events and to maternal malaria in epidemic areas for 1981-2000 and 2081-2100.

Keywords: Climate change; Maternal malaria; Maternal malnutrition; Natural experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I15 O13 O15 O55 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dem, nep-dev, nep-env and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (74)

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