Media release

From: Flinders University

Diarrhoea remains one of the most serious health threats to young children in the Global South, and new research shows that climate change is set to worsen the risk substantially. However, improved access to education and targeted health policies could help families protect their children from this deadly disease.

Published in the scientific journal Environmental Research, this is one of the first large-scale studies to examine how long-term climate, socio-economic, and maternal and child health factors intersect to affect the risk of acquiring diarrhoea.

This study shows that rising temperatures and unusually drier rainy seasons — both hallmarks of climate change — are expected to increase the risk of diarrhoeal diseases across South and Southeast Asia, posing serious health threats to millions of children.

Although preventable and treatable, diarrhoeal diseases currently claim hundreds of thousands of child lives every year, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries. Increasing the use of measures known to limit the spread of the causal infections can help counter the expected increases in mortality from climate change.

Led by Dr Hira Fatima formerly of Flinders University, researchers including Prof Corey Bradshaw from Flinders, and Dr Melinda Judge and Prof Peter Le Souef from The Kids Research Institute Australia and the University of Western Australia, analysed observations of more than 3 million children in eight Asian countries, and highlighted temperature extremes and declining rainfall as the two main climate-associated drivers of higher risk of children getting diarrhoea.

Dr Fatima says the results make it clear that maternal education on good hygiene practices, the importance of breastfeeding, and recognising the symptoms of diarrhoea are the most effective ways to reduce diarrhoea in children in South and Southeast Asia.

“Children of mothers with less than eight years of schooling faced an 18% higher risk of diarrhoea,” said Dr Fatima. “This makes investing in maternal education one of the most powerful and scalable climate-adaptation strategies — not only to improve child health, but also to address broader challenges like overcrowding and poor hygiene. Education empowers mothers to act early when their children fall ill, which can save lives.”

“Education is not only a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, but also a powerful tool for climate adaptation that must be central to climate-health policies, particularly in densely populated, high-risk regions of the world.

Co-author, Professor Corey Bradshaw says the modelling shows that temperature swings of 30 to 40 °C increased diarrhoea risk by 39%, while drier rainy seasons raised the risk by 29%.

“Our modelling emphasises that we need to develop and implement climate-related health policies that protect children under five years old from this increasing health risk,” said Professor Bradshaw.

“Around 88% of diarrhoeal deaths are linked to unsafe drinking water and related causes. Improved access to drinking water can reduce the risk of diarrhoea by 52%, while better sanitation facilities can lower the risk by 24%. We know that poverty increases the risk of diarrhoea by limiting access to nutritious food, clean water, and healthcare, while also fostering environments where diarrhoeal pathogens thrive.

“With our recent research also showing that droughts in East Asia will intensify based on 150,000 years of monsoon records, this new study now warns that the intensified impacts of climate change will lead to increased child diarrhoea and all the associated health impacts in Asia.”

To build resilience against the growing impacts of climate change, the researchers urge governments to prioritise expanding access to maternal education — particularly through child health programs — while also investing in safe water systems and addressing overcrowding through improved housing and infrastructure policy.”

Dr Melinda Judge says that despite contributing the least to climate change, low- and middle-income countries will continue to experience a higher burden of childhood diarrhoeal disease because of it. Specific child health impacts due to climate change must be acknowledged and addressed.

Professor Peter Le Souëf says that as climate change accelerates, child health outcomes will worsen if measures are not put into place to counter the predicted increase in diarrhoea cases.