After falling slightly between 1999 and 2015, U.S. deaths due to heat rose sharply between 2016 and 2023 Annual rates of such deaths are now five times what they were in 2014, the data shows More deaths can be expected unless climate change is slowed MONDAY, Aug.
26, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Reversing a prior downward trend, searing summers have caused a sharp uptick in the numbers of Americans who die from heat-related causes, new data shows. A look at U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deaths data for 1999 through 2023 showed a slight but steady decline in such deaths until 2016. After that point, heat-related dates began to rise sharply through 2023. "As temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, the recent increasing trend is likely to continue," concluded a team led by .
He is an associate professor of public health at the University of Texas at San Antonio. According to the , the effects of extreme heat kill about 1,220 people each year in the United States, with the combination of high temperatures and humidity being most taxing on the body. "Heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself," the CDC explained.
"While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person's body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs.
" The elderly and small c.