According to the UN agency, this equates to 460 million people and represents the highest percentage of children exposed to extremely high temperatures compared to all other regions of the planet.

With the world on the global boiling, the data clearly show that the lives and well-being of millions of children in South Asia are increasingly threatened by heat waves and high temperatures, Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF regional director for South Asia, warned.

In a press release, the representative insisted on the risks for babies, young and undernourished children, and pregnant women.

Although the countries in the region are not the hottest in the world at present, the heat carries life-threatening risks for millions of vulnerable infants, he added.

Extreme heat can cause symptoms and illnesses such as increased body temperature, tachycardia, cramps, severe headaches, confusion, organ failure, dehydration, fainting and coma in children, poor mental development in infants and developmental setbacks such as dysfunction.

In response, UNICEF called on workers, parents, families, caregivers and local authorities to protect children and combat the heat.

jg/arm/mem/ebr