Higher Temps Exacerbating Infectious Disease, Other Childhood Health Issues

Rising temperatures can increase the risk of hospitalization for children dealing with certain issues such as infections, according to a study examining hospital admissions data from New South Wales, Australia. The study, “Extreme Heat Stress and Unplanned Hospital Admissions,” published in the January 2025 Pediatrics (published online Dec. 26), reviewed data on children aged 18 and younger who were unexpectedly admitted to the hospital or emergency department from January 2000 to June 2020. Referring to the Universal Climate Thermal Index, a measurement that includes heat stress factors beyond temperature, researchers found that higher levels of heat stress were related to higher risks of emergency department visits for infectious diseases, infectious enteritis, otitis media, skin and soft tissue infection, and heat-related illness. Hospital admissions were also increased for problems including infectious diseases, infectious enteritis, and heat-related illness, according to the data. This is due to warmer weather and higher humidity increasing the survival of bacteria and increasing risk of food poisoning and ear infections after swimming. Authors say that methods to combat the local heat stress effects of global warming such as increased green and blue infrastructure could be employed to help reduce heat stress. Authors also conclude Universal Climate Thermal Index can better demonstrate the impacts of heat-related health impacts compared to ambient temperature alone. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.