Killer heat is taking the lives of hundreds of children per year across Europe and Central Asia, a Unicef analysis indicates.

Amid intensifying difficulties with scorching temperatures attributed to the climate crisis, the study of 23 countries found that in 2021, 377 children died due to health effects caused by heat stress. There is no indication that things have improved since then.

"Beat the Heat: Child Health Amid Heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia," the report presenting the findings issued by Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund), found that half the children died from heat-related illnesses in their first year of life.

"Around half of children across Europe and Central Asia—approximately 92mn children—are already exposed to frequent heatwaves in a region where temperatures are rising rapidly," said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia. "The increasingly high temperatures pose serious health risks for children, particularly the youngest, and can be life-threatening without proper care."

Credit: Unicef report, Beat the Heat: Child Health Amid Heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia

Heat exposure has acute effects on children, even before they are born. It and can result in pre-term births, low birth weight, stillbirth and congenital anomalies, noted the report.

Heat stress is a direct cause of infant mortality, can affect infant growth and cause a range of paediatric diseases, it added. The report also observed that extreme heat caused the loss of more than 32,000 years of healthy life among children and teenagers in the region.

Unicef urged governments across Europe and Central Asia to:

UNICEF urges governments across Europe and Central Asia to:   

1. Integrate strategies to reduce the impact of heatwaves including through National Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), and disaster risk reduction and disaster management policies with children at the centre of these plans
2. Invest in heat health action plans and primary health care to more adequately support heat related illness among children
3. Invest in early warning systems, including heat alert systems
4. Adapt education facilities to reduce the temperatures in the areas children play in and equip teachers with skills to respond to heat stress
5. Adapt urban design and infrastructure including ensuring buildings, particularly those housing the most vulnerable communities are equipped to minimize heat exposure
6. Secure the provision of safe water, particularly in countries with deteriorating water quality and availability. 

In Central Asia, heatwaves have become 30% more frequent, longer and intense over the past 60 years. 

With surface temperatures rising 20–40% faster in drylands compared to more humid areas, the situation is troubling, especially as communities are also contending with worsening water quality alongside the intensifying heatwaves.

Last week, several regions of Uzbekistan simultaneously faced extreme heat, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in some locations, according to Daryo. 

The country’s Research Institute of Hydrometeorology had earlier warned of unusually high temperatures set to occur in July and early August due to thermal depressions, which can cause temperatures to reach 44-48°C and last from two to seven days or longer.

In response, the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan advised staying in cool places from 10:00 to 17:00, wearing cotton clothing, drinking at least three litres of water daily, taking warm showers, and applying a cold, wet towel to avoid overheating.