The team is focusing in particular on a region located in the northeast of Senegal, Matam, which displays both the highest extreme temperatures (rising from 45 to 50°C) and the highest number of deaths during heat waves of the last ten years.
During this project, she will look at the evolution of inequalities in extreme temperatures in this region, as well as that of climate-sensitive diseases for women and children, between 2013 and 2022. To this end, the team will cross-reference high-resolution satellite imagery, meteorological data and public health data.
Then, thanks to a participatory approach, it will be a question of co-constructing with the populations concerned effective and socially acceptable strategies to preserve the health of mothers and babies in these extreme conditions. This work will be supplemented by a component concerning mental health (funded by Inserm). Finally, the team will use scientific methods to evaluate the implementation and impact of these interventions deployed in a few villages.
The results will provide operational recommendations for decision-making at local and national levels to address the health effects of inequalities in extreme temperatures. And, why not, transpose this approach to France where the needs are dire.
