Report of a scoping meeting for the selection of indicators to monitor the impact of extreme heat on maternal, newborn and child health: Geneva, Switzerland, 24-25 April 2023
Overview
This document summarizes the first meeting of an expert group convened in April 2023.
The meeting had two key aims:
1) to convene a group of multidisciplinary experts (representing MNCH, monitoring and evaluation as well as environmental epidemiology, thermal physiology and climate science) to start building a community of research and practice reflecting the complex multidisciplinary and multisectoral nature of climate change mitigation and response, specifically with regards to extreme heat and health monitoring and EWSs;
2) to identify needs and next steps to reach consensus on a set of priority indicators to monitor the impacts of extreme heat on MNCH as well as on potential thresholds for heat-health EWS that are specific to pregnant and postpartum women, newborns and infants.
WHO and HIGH Horizons. 2023. Conceptual framework : Extreme heat and maternal, newborn and child health
Emerging evidence highlights the impact of extreme heat on maternal, newborn and child health outcomes. A conceptual framework was developed by WHO and the HIGH Horizons project to depict the direct (pathophysiological mechanisms) and indirect (individual, community, and health services) pathways through which heat exposure (hazards) can lead to adverse MNCH outcomes. Underlying health conditions, geographical location, socio-economic and socio-political factors can all additionally multiply the effect of extreme heat on MNCH.
Additional resources
