WHO and Partner UN Agencies Launch New Framework to Track Health Risks of Extreme Heat for Pregnant Women, Newborns and Children
The World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNICEF and the UN reproductive health agency UNFPA launched a new global framework on October 21 to track the increasing health risks of extreme heat for pregnant women, newborns and children, designed to strengthen preparedness, improve monitoring and accelerate response.
The new report recommends that countries monitor preterm births, stillbirths, low birthweight, pregnancy hypertension, child deaths and health-facility visits during extreme heat. Monitoring school attendance can also help reveal how heat is disrupting children's lives. An estimated 1.5 billion children worldwide are exposed to heatwaves that are becoming more frequent, longer or more severe.
The agencies said the new information can help health authorities prepare facilities for rising demand, strengthen warnings to pregnant women and families, identify communities at greatest risk and improve planning. The framework integrates health outcomes with air temperature data to assess heat exposure.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：热浪期间温度计显示41摄氏度。照片：CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A thermometer records 41 degrees Celsius during a heat wave. Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
