Urgent Call for Comprehensive Data on Heat-Related Illnesses

Senior clinical scientist Soumya Swaminathan emphasizes the need for detailed data on heat-related illnesses, highlighting their links to various health risks. Speaking at Mumbai Climate Week, she calls for integrating health and climate data to inform policy and improve local health infrastructure and capacity.

At the Mumbai Climate Week, Senior Clinical Scientist Soumya Swaminathan highlighted the critical importance of improving data collection on heat-related illnesses. Swaminathan, a former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation, warned that current statistics capture only a fraction of the issue.

She linked these illnesses to cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, and metabolic disorders, further compounded by dehydration and inadequate access to safe water. Swaminathan stressed that age, existing medical conditions, and working environments also play significant roles.

Calling for comprehensive data that reflects different occupations, ages, genders, and living conditions, Swaminathan said such data should integrate with climate information for effective policy-making. She advocated utilizing satellite imagery and GIS to enhance understanding and called for boosting local health infrastructure and capacity building.

(With inputs from agencies.)