In 2021, over 5.480 infants in 23 countries and territories across Europe and Central Asia died from air pollution-related causes. In Macedonia, deaths of newborns related to air pollution account for 11,6 percent or 1 in 9 deaths of children under one year of age, according to the UNICEF Office in Skopje.

The report, titled Breathless Beginnings: Policies to Protect Children from Air Pollution in Europe and Central Asia, notes that in major cities across Europe and Central Asia, air pollution regularly exceeds safe levels according to the WHO, and is becoming a major environmental health risk. of children from the region.

- In North Macedonia, the risks of polluted air are particularly high. In February 2024, Skopje was again among the top 10 most polluted cities in the world, with average levels of PM10 or PM2,5 particles exceeding the permissible limits more than 100 days a year. According to new data, in addition to being a serious cause of death among newborns, air pollution takes more healthy years off our lives compared to any other single environmental factor, such as high temperatures, dirty water and poor sanitation. the announcement.

Leslie Miller, a representative of UNICEF, adds that these data are particularly worrying, because early and frequent exposure to polluted air affects the development of the brain, lungs and organs of babies, which has consequences for health and learning throughout life.

The policy document points out that babies and young children are most at risk of death and ill health from air pollution. Early and frequent exposure to polluted air – starting from the womb – leads to shrinking and restructuring of the lungs and increases the risk of pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infections, ear infections, asthma and allergies. Breathing polluted air can cause brain inflammation, stunt growth and affect cognitive development as well as school performance.

UNICEF appeals to the governments and institutions in the countries of the region, including Macedonia, to devote more attention and resources to the fight against air pollution, to support energy efficiency, access to clean energy and the improvement of air quality, and to protect pregnant women and children from polluted air.

- Finally, the burden of bacterial pneumonia infections in infants should be reduced by expanding coverage with pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) - which in North Macedonia is 56 percent, which is much lower than the average coverage of 86 percent in the WHO European region - say UNICEF.

A new UNICEF policy document contains the latest data and recommendations to improve air quality and reduce child deaths and health problems due to air pollution.