Effect of Disasters Induced by Natural Hazards on Child Mortality in Africa

Africa has the highest number of child deaths in the world. In addition, it is the most vulnerable continent to disasters caused by climate change. This study aims to examine the relationship between such events and neonatal, under-one and under-five mortality in 32 African countries over the period 2000–2017. We use a generalized least squares method to analyse the relationship between the central variables of the study. The main results point out that disasters triggered by natural occurrences increase neonatal, under-one and under-five deaths. Furthermore, the results of the transmission channels carried out using mediation analysis indicate that the effect of disasters on child mortality may be mediated by food security and access to water, with food security predominating over access to water.