In the collaborative work between the Pediatric Emergency Service of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid and the Pediatric Environmental Health Unit (PEHSU) of the Fundació Hospital d'Olot i Comarcal de la Garrotxa in which they have analyzed more than 3,000 visits to pediatric emergencies we have been able to observe an increase in fever episodes in the most recent heat waves . The study has been published in the international journal Global Pediatrics with the title "Heat waves and pediatric emergency department febrile-related visits ".
With climate change, an increase in the frequency and intensity of heat waves is expected. The World Health Organization estimates that 88% of the burden of disease or mortality related to climate change will fall on children under the age of 5. This study underlines the urgent need to prepare health systems to face the challenges that climate change can represent for children's health , as well as the importance of developing specific mitigation and adaptation strategies to protect the most vulnerable, especially children, against the adverse effects of heat waves.
Link to the study: Heat waves and pediatric emergency department febrile-related visits - ScienceDirect .
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