GENEVA / RankWire.AI / – The World Health Organization has issued updated guidelines designed to help nations and organizers minimize heat-related health issues during large gatherings. These guidelines address key sporting, religious, and cultural functions, emphasizing the safety of spectators, staff, volunteers, and all attendees exposed to elevated temperatures. An evidence review that supported these recommendations analyzed research published between 1980 and 2025, which documented nearly 500,000 medical visits, including over 22,000 cases linked to heat.
The research indicates that with proper preparation, medical teams can treat most patients on-site, reducing the need for hospital transfers. When event organizers have sufficient medical infrastructure, more than 90% of those affected receive care at the venue. Providing immediate treatment can help lessen the burden on emergency rooms and ambulance services during large-scale events. Consequently, the guidance emphasizes medical preparedness alongside measures such as water provision, cooling stations, sanitation, and crowd control. It also advocates for enhanced coordination between public health authorities and event organizers.
Heat-related health risks have been increasing in many parts of the world. The guidance notes that fatalities linked to heat have grown by an estimated 63% since the 1990s. Additionally, it reports an average of 546,000 annual heat-related deaths from 2012 to 2021. Large gatherings tend to heighten exposure because attendees often stay outdoors for extended durations. Factors like dense crowds, limited movement, and intense physical activity can further elevate the risk during extreme heat conditions.
Integrating heat safety into event planning becomes essential
The guidelines recommend ensuring access to safe drinking water, sufficient sanitation facilities, and cooling areas at event sites. Organizers should also factor in the event schedule, the movement of crowds, and protections for workers when temperatures rise. Effective public communication is crucial to the planning process, with Health surveillance helping officials detect early signs of heat illness as the event unfolds. Well-prepared medical teams can then respond promptly on-site. The WHO emphasizes that heat safety should be integrated into overall event operations rather than relying solely on individual precautions.
Additional resources include an implementation manual and a heat-risk assessment tool, both designed to support thorough planning before events and ongoing monitoring during their course. The framework encompasses preparation, risk mitigation, and recovery, and can be aligned with existing emergency response and occupational safety protocols. Organizers are encouraged to use these tools in conjunction with national heat-health plans where they exist. The guidance applies to various event formats and sizes, not just specific types of gatherings.
Evidence underscores the need for early prevention strategies
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has identified a rise in the frequency and severity of hot extremes across most terrestrial regions since the 1950s. This trend heightens the importance of comprehensive heat planning at outdoor events with large crowds. Vulnerable groups, such as older adults and those with chronic health conditions, face heightened risks during heatwaves. Participants engaging in strenuous activities also require additional safeguards. Meanwhile, workers and volunteers supporting security, medical operations, transportation, and other services may be exposed for long periods.
The guidance emphasizes that heat preparedness should be part of broader public health and emergency response strategies for mass gatherings. It recommends authorities and event organizers evaluate conditions throughout all phases—before, during, and after events. Suggested measures include access to water, cooling solutions, surveillance, effective communication, and medical readiness. They also encompass sanitation, worker safety, and crowd management. This overall preventive approach aims to enable prompt on-site care, especially at sporting events, festivals, religious gatherings, and other large-scale functions where high temperatures pose health hazards.