‘Jjimtong Mudeowi’ Heatwave Only Causes Heat Illness?..."Chronic Diseases Like Brain Hemorrhage and Pneumonia Will Also Increase"

Ongoing Heatwaves Cause Surge in Heat-Related Illnesses and Mosquito·Tick-Borne Diseases
Experts Say "Closely Linked to Climate Crisis"
"Chronic Patients Will Also Increase... Need for Health Policies to Prepare"

Citizens shielding themselves from the sunlight and moving around in the heat

This summer, as the weather heats up more than usual, the number of people suffering from various illnesses such as heat-related diseases and mosquito- and tick-borne infections is increasing. Many experts believe this is closely related to the climate crisis on the Korean Peninsula. There are also forecasts that the number of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia, and dementia will rise due to climate change, including an increase in the number of heatwave days.

Recently, heat-related illnesses have been occurring frequently amid the sweltering heat. According to the Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Heat-related Illness Emergency Room Surveillance System, 68 heat-related patients were reported nationwide on the 3rd. This is the highest daily count since the heat-related illness tally began on May 20. The cumulative number of heat-related patients is 359, with an estimated 2 deaths. This is more than the same period last year, which was also hot (352 cumulative patients, 1 estimated death). Last month, due to an early heatwave, there was an incident where 29 passengers on a charter bus traveling from Seoul to Gangwon Province showed symptoms of mass food poisoning such as diarrhea and vomiting after eating kimbap left at room temperature.

The number of malaria patients, a mosquito-borne infectious disease, is also increasing. So far this year, there have been a total of 279 malaria patients, more than twice the 134 patients during the same period last year. Scrub typhus, transmitted by ticks, affected 569 people in the first half of this year, surpassing the 473 patients in the first half of last year. Experts say, “The recent repeated sweltering heat and heatwaves on the Korean Peninsula, as a result of climate change, have created optimal living conditions for mosquitoes and ticks, leading to an increase in their populations and consequently more patients.”

There are also concerns that the number of people suffering from various chronic diseases will increase if the heat continues. Professor Kwon Hojang of Dankook University College of Medicine said, “As the weather gets hotter, the heart and kidneys are strained, which can lead to various chronic diseases.” Professor Bae Sanghyuk of Catholic University College of Medicine stated, “As it gets hotter, air quality deteriorates due to various factors, increasing the number of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction,” but he also pointed out that “awareness of the increase in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients due to the climate crisis is relatively low.” Ha Ji-won, CEO of EcoMom Korea, said, “If hot weather without wind continues, cooking fumes in urban areas stagnate, which can cause dementia and lung cancer.”

There is also analysis that extreme weather negatively affects mental health. Chae Sumi, head of the Future Disease Response Research Center at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said, “Research shows that extreme climates such as heatwaves increase trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lethargy, anxiety, and violent tendencies,” adding, “Recently, the term ‘climate anxiety’ has emerged to describe negative emotions experienced due to the climate crisis.”

Experts foresee that climate change will intensify and advise that by advancing climate monitoring systems and building new data, measures should be prepared to reduce health damage. Director Chae said, “A five-year climate change health adaptation plan is necessary,” and Professor Bae emphasized, “Calculating the expected health damage from climate change is important for developing health policies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.