Rising heat worsens chronic illnesses in rural Zimbabwe

As climate change drives temperatures higher across Zimbabwe, people living with chronic illnesses in rural areas are facing a silent but devastating crisis.

While urban residents can escape the heat in clinics, air-conditioned buildings, or homes with fans, villagers in remote areas like Nyamandlovu remain exposed to the full brunt of rising temperatures. Without proper infrastructure or medical support, the excessive heat is quietly worsening the health of those already vulnerable.

The African Health Organisation (AHO) warned in 2023 that prolonged periods of high day and night temperatures create cumulative stress on the human body, worsening major causes of death such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions, diabetes, and kidney disorders.

That warning has become reality in Matabeleland.

Ford, an elderly villager from Deli who suffers from a chronic illness, said the recent heatwaves have left him unable to sleep at night. "The villagers can testify for me, I had challenges sleeping for some days. I felt like my body was still feeling the impact of the heat I had endured in the afternoon, but the sun had already set. I felt sick during that particular week - the heat is too much for us," he said.

Another villager, Mashakwa Nyathi, who lives with high blood pressure, said the heat sometimes makes her feel as though "her soul is leaving her body."

"The heat is affecting us - it's too much, especially for me with hypertension. You feel like your soul is leaving your body, you try to sit in the shade or sleep, but where will you do that when it's hot? I am even unable to do Intwasa farming," she said, appealing for assistance for elderly people with chronic diseases.

Health practitioners say these experiences are consistent with global findings on how heat affects vulnerable populations.

Mehluli Ndlovu, a health worker from Tsholotsho, noted that while there is little local research, heat likely worsens existing health conditions. "This usually affects the elderly. Keeping hydrated may be a challenge because of water shortages coupled with limited access to food. They can be disproportionately affected," he said.

A local health expert, who requested anonymity, said extreme heat makes it difficult for patients with hypertension and heart disease to manage their conditions.

"For example, my mother has a heart condition. She can't take too much fluid because of her medication - frusemide - which removes excess water. So she ends up dehydrated, sweating too much. The heart also works harder to cool the body, leaving her tired and weak," she explained. "When it's cooler, it's easier for them to work. But with these extreme temperatures, their blood pressure drops, some faint, and their conditions deteriorate. Some even lose appetite."

The expert warned that heat stress could trigger strokes among elderly people as their bodies struggle to cope. "In rural areas, there are no fans or cooling systems. They struggle to perform daily tasks because the body must make an extra effort to stay cool," she said.

The AHO has warned that while climate change affects everyone, groups such as the elderly, infants, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and low-income households are especially vulnerable to heat-related illness and death. "Rapid rises in heat gain compromise the body's ability to regulate temperature and can result in a cascade of illnesses, including heat cramps, exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia," the organisation said.

The 2025 World Health Organisation (WHO)–Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change report confirmed that global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time in 2024, warning that "delays in climate action are resulting in millions of avoidable deaths every year."

The report further revealed that 84 percent of heatwave days between 2020 and 2024 would not have occurred without climate change, while heat-related mortality has surged by 63 percent since the 1990s - now averaging 546,000 deaths annually between 2012 and 2021.

For rural Zimbabweans like Ford and Nyathi, these global statistics are not abstract - they are a lived reality, manifesting in restless nights, worsening health, and fading livelihoods as the climate grows ever hotter.