2818 Heat Illness Cases and 32 Deaths Due to This Summer's Heatwave

This summer, the number of heat-related illness cases has sharply increased due to the heatwave.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on the 6th that from May 20 to September 30, a total of 2,818 heat-related illness cases were reported through the heat-related illness emergency room surveillance system, marking an 80.2% increase compared to the previous year. Heat-related illnesses are acute conditions caused by heat exposure, showing symptoms such as headache, dizziness, muscle cramps, fatigue, and decreased consciousness when exposed to hot environments for extended periods. If left untreated, these illnesses can be life-threatening. Heatstroke and heat exhaustion are representative examples. The heat-related illness emergency room surveillance system has been operated every summer since 2011.

The total number of reported suspected deaths from heat-related illnesses was 32 (18 men and 14 women). Half of these were individuals aged 80 and above (16 people). The suspected cause of death was mainly heatstroke (90.6%). By region, Chungnam had the highest number with 8 deaths (25.0%), followed by Gyeongnam (6), Gyeongbuk and Jeonbuk (4 each), and Chungbuk and Jeonnam (3 each).

Notably, this year recorded the highest daily death toll of 7 people (as of July 29) since the start of heat-related illness surveillance. The annual death toll of 32 was the second highest after 2018, which had the most heatwave days and 48 deaths. The average temperature nationwide during this summer (June to August) ranked fourth highest since weather observations began in 1973, due to the persistent influence of the North Pacific High.

32.6% (918 cases) of all heat-related illness patients occurred in early August. Deaths were also concentrated in early August, accounting for 43.8% (14 out of 32) of total deaths. The average maximum temperature in early August was 32.4℃, 0.4℃ higher than the previous year.

The number of male patients (2,192, 77.8%) was higher than female patients (626, 22.2%). By age group, those in their 50s were the most affected with 601 cases (21.3%), followed by those in their 60s with 514 cases (18.2%), 40s with 385 cases (13.7%), and 70s with 325 cases (11.5%). Elderly individuals aged 65 and above accounted for 29.5% of all patients. The number of reported cases per 100,000 population was also highest among those aged 80 and above.

By illness type, heat exhaustion was the most common with 1,598 cases (56.7%), followed by heatstroke with 493 cases (17.5%), heat cramps with 432 cases (15.3%), and heat syncope with 235 cases (8.3%).

By region, Gyeonggi had 676 cases, Gyeongbuk 248, Gyeongnam 229, Seoul 217, and Jeonnam 211. The number of reported cases per 100,000 population was highest in Jeju with 14.5, followed by Jeonbuk 11.8, Jeonnam 11.7, Gyeongbuk 9.7, and Chungbuk 9.4.

Regarding the location of occurrence, outdoor cases numbered 2,243 (79.6%), which was 3.9 times higher than indoor cases (575, 20.4%). Outdoor workplaces accounted for the largest share with 913 cases (32.4%), followed by rice fields and farms with 395 cases (14.0%), roadsides with 286 cases (10.1%), and indoor workplaces with 197 cases (7.0%).

In terms of time of occurrence, 49.2% of cases happened during daytime hours from morning to 5 p.m. By occupation, simple labor workers were the most affected with 591 cases (21.0%), followed by unemployed individuals with 342 cases (12.1%), and skilled agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers with 247 cases (8.8%).

Ji Young-mi, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, "To safely and healthily get through the hot summer, the public must strictly follow health guidelines." She added, "From December this year to February next year, we plan to operate a cold-related illness emergency room surveillance system to provide timely information on health damage caused by winter cold waves."

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