Update date: 2 October 2026 | Source: World Health Organization
At a Glance
- WHO’s 2026 heat package includes implementation guidance, systematic reviews and a structured risk-assessment tool.
- The approach covers preparation, impact mitigation and recovery.
- It addresses attendees, volunteers and workers, not only spectators.
- Risk reduction depends on systems such as water, cooling, surveillance, crowd flow, communications and medical readiness.
How the toolkit can be used
The implementation document explains the evidence and planning framework, while the associated risk-assessment tool is intended to support repeatable assessment before and during events. This can help public-health authorities and organizers identify changing heat risk and trigger pre-agreed mitigation measures.
Operational checklist
- Assess forecast and venue-specific heat exposure.
- Map access to drinking water and cooling areas.
- Identify high-risk populations and exposed workers.
- Define escalation thresholds and medical referral pathways.
- Use real-time surveillance for heat illness and crowd stress.
- Adjust schedules, breaks and crowd movement when risk rises.
Relevance to district health administration
For district-level camps, rallies, religious gatherings and outdoor health programmes, the framework can be adapted into a pre-event checklist shared by administration, health services, ambulance teams and event organizers.
Official Sources
WHO — Prevention and management of heat-related illness at mass gatherings
WHO — Systematic reviews supporting the guidance
MedBodh note: Local heat action plans and emergency protocols should be used alongside this WHO framework.