The British in the conditions of the energy crisis predicted an increase in child mortality

Health experts have warned that unheated homes will damage the lungs and brain development of children in the UK and lead to death as part of a “significant humanitarian crisis” this winter.

As writes The GuardianIf the new British Prime Minister (who is expected to be named on September 5) does not curb soaring fuel bills, children will face a wave of respiratory illnesses with long-term consequences. The threat is highlighted in a review by Sir Michael Marmot, director of the Institute for Health Equity at University College London, and Professor Ian Singh, a specialist in respiratory diseases. Consultant at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

Professor Sinha said he “has no doubt” that cold homes this winter due to skyrocketing electricity costs will cost children’s lives, though experts cannot predict exactly how many people will experience lung damage at a young age, which lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and bronchitis in adulthood.

The Resolution Foundation think tank predicts that Britain will face its deepest decline in living standards in a century, with the typical household losing £3,000 in real income in two years, inflation reaching 15% for the poorest households and a cost-of-living crisis lasting until 2024 of the year.

An additional 3 million people in the UK are projected to live in absolute poverty, with relative child poverty reaching its highest level since the peak of the 1990s, leading to “frankly appalling” living standard projections.

A huge number of cash-strapped households are preparing to turn off their heating systems when marginal energy prices rise to £3,549 from October 1, and the president of the British Children’s Respiratory Society also told the Guardian that child deaths are likely.

“There will be excess mortality among some children when families are forced to be unable to heat their homes,” predicts Dr. Simon Langton-Hewer. “I’m afraid it will be dangerous.

With 45 million people in the UK projected to face fuel shortages by January 2023, Marmot and Sinha said “the development of millions of children will be marred” by lung damage, “toxic stress” that will affect brain development, and deepening educational disparities as kids struggle to keep up with schoolwork in cold houses. Experts have warned that across all age groups, the cold crisis will claim thousands of lives.

“In 21st century Britain, it is simply unbearable that so many people are not provided with fuel,” says Sir Michael Marmot, one of the world’s leading experts on public health inequalities. “The government must act, and act now. It is clear that we are facing a major humanitarian crisis as thousands of people die and the development of millions of children deteriorates, resulting in inequalities that will last for life.”

Sinha cautioned concerned parents against wrapping babies in multiple layers of clothing as it could restrict breathing, and said sleeping in the same bed to share body heat could increase the chance of dying in a crib.

Families already facing fuel shortages told The Guardian how children as young as four were hospitalized with respiratory problems due to the cold and dampness. One mother said the doctor found that her eight-year-old son’s chronically congested lungs were depleting the oxygen supply to his brain.

“Mold climbing walls and breaking cribs and children hospitalized due to poor housing may seem like nightmares, but that’s the reality for an alarming number of families,” said Polly Neath, executive director of housing charity Shelter.

The World Health Organization has found that dampness is responsible for up to 15% of new cases of childhood asthma in Europe, and in children with asthma, lung function deteriorates with every degree of indoor temperature below 9°C.

Wholesale gas prices rose from £104 for heat in November to £271 in June due to the conflict in Ukraine and the economic impact of the pandemic.

Claire Bambra, professor of public health at Newcastle University, said the cost-of-living crisis could become a public health crisis “potentially surpassing a pandemic.” She said: “The effects of growing fuel poverty will be particularly felt in the north as we have an older population and higher levels of deprivation.”

According to Michael Marmot, “If we constantly worry about making ends meet, it puts a strain on our body, resulting in increased stress that affects the heart and blood vessels and disrupts the immune system. This type of environment will mean thousands of people will die sooner than they should, and in addition to damaging children’s lungs, toxic stress can irreversibly affect their brain development.”