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Rainfall regime and child health in the Ceará state: evidence for municipalities in census years (1991-2010)

ABSTRACT

The current study aims to investigate the impact of rainfall regime of the municipalities of the Ceará state on child health, proxied by the child mortality rate (CMR), in census years (1991, 2000 and 2010). The regressions show a negative relationship between CMR and rainfall fluctuations, in which the exposure to infectious diseases arises as the main mechanism effect. It is also observed that CMR is particularly responsive to the occurrence of episodes of severe/extreme droughts. This result is particularly worrisome, once the climate change predictions indicate an increase in the duration and intensification of droughts in the Northeast region of Brazil. Estimates based on such projections, suggest that the loss of human capital in childhood due to the future drops in municipal rainfall level can reach 1,5% of the state GDP until the end of the 21st century.

Key-words
rainfall regime; child health; Ceará; Brazil

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