WHO publishes priority indicators to monitor how heat exposure affects mothers, newborns and children

25 October 2026

The World Health Organization has published a 56-page standards document titled Priority indicators to monitor the impact of heat exposure on maternal, newborn and child health.
The indicators were identified by the World Health Organization together with the World Meteorological Organization, UNICEF and UNFPA.
They fall into four domains: routine maternal, newborn and child health monitoring; public health and surveillance systems; climate and health monitoring; and measures of heat exposure.
The document proposes core and additional indicators so that countries can address their own contexts, and gives guidance on analysing health indicators together with heat exposure data.
Its stated reason is that important gaps remain in the ability to monitor and respond to the effects of heat on mothers, newborns and children.
The work is published by the department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent and Ageing Health.