by Elana Gotkine

The proportion of pediatric fatalities from weather events is increasing, according to a study published online Feb. 11 in Pediatrics.

Caroline Q. Stephens, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues used the National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events Database to conduct an ecological study of weather-related pediatric fatalities between 2001 and 2021.

The researchers found that weather events were associated with 1,423 pediatric fatalities between 2001 and 2021. Of the fatalities, 60% occurred in male children, with a bimodal distribution in age. The largest proportion of fatalities was accounted for by floods/currents, followed by cold/ice/winter weather, tornadoes, heat, and hurricanes/storms (37, 13, 13, 12, and 11%, respectively).

The absolute number of fatalities did not differ significantly over time, but during the course of the study, there was an increase in the proportion of all-cause pediatric fatalities associated with weather events. Almost half (46%) of pediatric fatalities occurred in areas with an associated Pediatric Disaster Care Centers of Excellence.

"Pediatric fatalities from weather events make up an increasing proportion of childhood deaths, placing the most vulnerable children at risk," the authors write. "Expansion of the current health-system infrastructure for pediatric disaster management is greatly needed to mitigate the potential child deaths due to weather-related events."

More information: Caroline Q. Stephens et al, Weather-Related Pediatric Fatalities in the United States: 2001 to 2021, Pediatrics (2025). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2024-067567

Journal information: Pediatrics 

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