WHO recognizes that heat is an emerging risk, and is working to increase the understanding and awareness of how heat affects health and to support national governments to assess vulnerability and exposure, measure impacts, and develop interventions that can keep people healthy.

Many of WHO’s core programmes are affected by changing heat hazards and can help in the reduction of avoidable death and illness. These programmes include NCD Control, Occupational Health, Mental Health, Infectious disease control, Maternal and Child Health, Water and Sanitation, Health Emergency Management, Climate Change, Healthy Ageing throughout the Life course, and Health Information Systems and Governance, amongst others.

WHO Regional Offices have implemented specific programming related to heat risk management. For example in Europe, WHO has developed guidance and supported studies to quantify the health effects of heat in cities in the WHO European Region. This includes Heat Health Action Plans which help to improve heatwave early warning systems and other interventions to improve health systems preparedness and response for heat. In China, WHO supported the development of heat early warning systems and prevention programmes. In the Americas, PAHO supported efforts to better understand the linkages of heat with chronic kidney disease and address heat risks through programming in occupational health.