The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it was particularly concerned about those with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and asthma as the heat often worsens pre-existing conditions.
Millions of people across three continents are enduring a sustained spell of dangerous heat on Wednesday as temperature records tumble.
“Extreme heat takes the greatest toll on those least able to manage its consequences, such as older people, infants and children, and the poor and homeless,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, AFP reported.
“It also puts increased pressure on health systems,” he told a news conference.
Ghebreyesus said exposure to excessive heat has wide-ranging impacts for health, often amplifying pre-existing conditions and resulting in premature death and disability.
WHO urges preparedness for excessive heat
The WHO was working with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), its fellow Geneva-based UN agency, to support countries in developing hot-weather action plans to coordinate preparedness and reduce the impacts of excessive heat on health, he added.
Maria Neira, the WHO’s public health and environment chief, said the agency was particularly concerned about pregnant women and people with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and asthma, as air pollution would be part of the problem.
Local and national governments needed to identify all those potentially at risk, while hospitals should ensure they had an action plan in place, she added.
Experts have blamed the heatwaves on climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels releasing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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