KATHMANDU
\nSouth Asia has the highest percentage of children exposed to extreme high temperatures, compared to all other regions, according to a UNICEF analysis.
\nUNICEF estimates that 76 per cent of children under 18 in South Asia \u2013 460 million \u2013 are exposed to extreme high temperatures where 83 or more days in a year exceed 35\u00b0C. This means that 3 in 4 children in South Asia are already exposed to extreme high temperature compared to only 1 in 3 children (32 per cent) globally. The analysis is of 2020 data, the latest available.
\nIn addition, the data also show that 28 per cent of children across South Asia are exposed to 4.5 or more heat waves per year, compared to 24 per cent globally. July was the hottest month ever recorded globally, raising further concerns about a future where children, including those living in South Asia, are expected to face more frequent and severe heat waves, largely due to climate change.
\n\u201cWith the world at global boiling, the data clearly show that the lives and well-being of millions of children across South Asia are increasingly threatened by heat waves and high temperatures. Countries in the region are not the hottest in the world right now but the heat here brings life-threatening risks for millions of vulnerable children,\u201d said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia.
\n\u201cWe are particularly concerned about babies, toddlers, malnourished children and pregnant women as they are most vulnerable to heat strokes and other serious effects.\u201d According to UNICEF\u2019s 2021 Children\u2019s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), children in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, and Pakistan are at \u2018extremely high risk\u2019 of the impacts of climate change.
\nIn parts of Pakistan\u2019s southern Sindh province, including Jacobabad, the world\u2019s hottest city in 2022, temperatures were in their 40\u2019s in June, exposing 1.8 million people to severe short- and long-term health risks. The scorching heat came less than one year after the devastating floods which left most parts of southern Sindh underwater in August 2022. More than 800,000 children in flood-affected areas were at risk of severe heat stress in June 2023.
\nEven in the rainy season, the heat can exacerbate the situation for children. Since children cannot adapt quickly to temperature changes, they are not able to remove excess heat from their bodies. This can cause symptoms and illnesses such as higher body temperature, rapid heartbeat, cramps, severe headache, confusion, organ failure, dehydration, fainting and coma, in young children; poor mental development in infants; and developmental setbacks such as neurological dysfunction, and cardiovascular diseases. Early contractions, hypertension, seizures, high blood pressure, preterm births and stillbirths are risks for pregnant women, who are particularly susceptible to heat.
\nFor young children, ice packs, fans or misting with water can help lower their body temperature, while cold water immersion can help older children. Education, awareness, and preparedness are key to responding to this crisis. During high temperatures, UNICEF urges frontline workers, parents, families, caregivers and local authorities to protect children and B.E.A.T. the heat by taking the following steps:
\nBE AWARE of heat stress and protect yourself and your children. Take preventive measures and recognize heat stress and know what actions to take; EASILY IDENTIFY the symptoms. Recognize the symptoms of various heat-related illnesses that caregivers, communities and front-line workers need to know; ACT IMMEDIATELY to protect. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KATHMANDU South Asia has the highest percentage of children exposed to extreme high temperatures, compared to all other regions, according to a UNICEF analysis. UNICEF estimates that 76 per cent of children under 18 in South Asia \u2013 460 million \u2013 are exposed to extreme high temperatures where 83 or more days in a year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347784,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-347774","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n