As extreme heat intensifies around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched the first-ever set of priority indicators to help countries track the health impacts of heat on pregnant women, newborns and children. The new framework is designed to strengthen preparedness, improve monitoring, accelerate response. These actions will help protect some of the populations most vulnerable to climate-related health risks.

Studies continue to provide evidence that exposure to extreme heat can harm health from pregnancy to childhood, leading to a 26% increase in the odds of preterm birth. Newborns are also increasingly exposed, with babies under one year of age experiencing 389% more heatwave days in 2024 compared with the 1986 to 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 recognize this reality and take action - from protecting people during heatwaves to embedding climate risk consideration into everyday health services.”