|
Abstract
|
The number of heat-related emergency department visits in the northwestern United States spiked during the last week of June, reflecting the heat wave's "sizeable public health impact," according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Record high temperatures are occurring more frequently in the United States, and climate change is causing heat waves to become more intense, directly impacting human health, including heat-related illnesses and deaths," the report authors note. A previous study by CDC researchers found that in 2004 through 2018, an average of 702 heat-related deaths occurred in the United States annually.
In the new study, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the researchers analyzed data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program, a collaboration between the CDC and other federal agencies, local and state health departments, health care facilities, independent clinical laboratories, and a university-affiliated research center. They looked for patterns in heat-related emergency department visits during the June 2021 heat wave--when most of Oregon and Washington were under a National Weather Service excessive heat warning--and the preceding month in US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 10, an area that includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
In May and June, the region had 3504 visits for heat-related illness; 2779 (nearly 80%) of these visits occurred during June 25 to 30. Because these figures do not include individuals who sought medical treatment in settings other than emergency departments, they likely underestimate the actual prevalence of heat-related illness during the dates studied, the authors note.
Region 10 accounted for approximately 15% of heat-related emergency department visits nationwide during June, even though the area has only about 4% of the total US population. The average daily number of such visits in Region 10 during June 25 to 30 (424 visits) was 69 times higher than that during the same days in 2019 (6 visits), when no heat advisory was in effect...
Language: en |