WHO has launched a new framework to help countries monitor the health impacts of extreme heat on pregnant women, newborns and children amid growing exposure to heatwaves.
The World Health Organization (WHO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched the first set of priority indicators to help health systems track heat-related risks among the vulnerable groups.
WHO said the framework is intended to strengthen preparedness, improve monitoring and support faster responses to health risks linked to extreme heat.
According to WHO, studies have linked exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy with preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight and other complications. It said heat exposure was associated with a 26 per cent increase in the odds of preterm birth.
WHO also said babies under one year experienced 389 per cent more heatwave days in 2024 compared with the 1986–2005 baseline period.
Globally, an estimated 1.5 billion children are exposed to heatwaves that are becoming more frequent, longer or more severe.
“As our world continues to heat up, it creates new risks for health, and older people, pregnant women, newborns and children are among those least able to escape them,” said Bruce Gordon, Director a.i. of WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration.
“Our health systems need the data to recognise this reality and take action - from protecting people during heatwaves to embedding climate risk consideration into everyday health services.”
The new report recommends that countries monitor preterm births, stillbirths, low birthweight, pregnancy hypertension, child deaths and health-facility visits during periods of extreme heat.
WHO said monitoring school attendance could also help identify how heat is affecting children's lives.
“Heat is already affecting our most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, newborns and children. But what health systems do not count, they cannot respond to,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of WHO’s Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing.
“By tracking outcomes such as preterm birth, child deaths and illnesses, and health-facility visits alongside heat exposure, countries can identify potential impacts and take action to protect women and children.”
WHO said routine health data combined with heat-exposure information, such as air temperature, can help countries identify unusual changes during periods of extreme heat, investigate potential health impacts and respond accordingly.
The information can also help health authorities prepare health facilities for increased demand, strengthen warnings to pregnant women and families, identify communities at greatest risk and improve heat-health planning.
WHO called on countries to strengthen their ability to monitor and respond to the health impacts of extreme heat as heatwaves become more common.
It also urged governments to develop and implement context-specific heat-health action plans that address the needs of pregnant women, newborns and children, strengthen early warning systems and trigger timely action when heat risks emerge.
