Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairperson of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), Dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Sp.A(K), has said that further research is necessary to study the impact of climate change on maternal and child health in Indonesia.

"We really need to have local data, our own national data to decide on anticipatory steps," he added at the "The Impact of Climate Change on Reproductive Health" webinar, which was followed from here on Thursday.

Therefore, further research is needed because the data on the impact of climate change on maternal and child health has only come from overseas, he emphasized.

"Let alone between countries, even (the data from) provinces are different. (For instance, regarding disaster), there are areas that are more prone to earthquakes, some are more prone to flooding. This makes our strategies different as well," Yanuarso said.

According to him, the results of research on the impact of climate change on maternal and child health in Indonesia can later become the basis for the necessary mitigation measures.

Speaking on the impact of climate change, he asked parents to provide an environment that supports children's growth and development, such as on-schedule immunizations, a hygienic and healthy lifestyle, and nutritious food.

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"We can do these promotional and preventive efforts in addition to mitigation efforts against climate change," the IDAI chairman said.

Earlier, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its report, had said that climate change has a negative impact on pregnancies and the health of babies in the womb.

The IPCC further said that climate change and its impacts are happening faster and are worse than expected and calculated.

At the same event, the University of Indonesia's Deputy Dean for Resources, Ventures, and General Administration, Milla Herdayati, said that climate change affects women and children the most.

According to her, climate change affects reproductive health, starting from pregnancy, the fetus, to the newborn.

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Translator: Anita D, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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