Dhaka, Nov. 2 -- A new study has linked the effects of the heatwave in April 2024 to an estimated 5,515 additional preterm births in Bangladesh.

Of these, at least 1,479 cases were attributed to excess heat caused by human-induced climate change, research organisation Zero Carbon Analytics (ZCA) said in the report released on Monday.

The study examined the impact of extreme heat on preterm births in Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines.

It said Bangladesh recorded the highest increase among the three countries.

Comparing April 2024 temperatures with the average for the same month between 1991 and 2020, researchers found that the preterm birth rate in Bangladesh rose by 11.9 percent.

The two estimates of 5,515 and 1,479 represent se...