Heat could be deadlier than ever in 2024

Hot weather is known as the “silent killer” by experts. And it could be deadlier than ever in 2024.

A dangerous heat wave is heading toward Massachusetts on Tuesday with “near record” temperatures possible, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

Experts warn of the danger of heat.

“There is simply very little awareness of the fact that heat kills. It’s the silent killer,” Kristie Ebi, a public health scientist at the University of Washington who helped write a United Nations special report on extreme weather, told PBS.

Ebi said that in recent years, the heat “seems to come faster. It seems to be more serious than expected.

In 2023, more than 2,300 people died in the United States from excessive heat, according to their death certificates, PBS reported. This is the highest number in 45 years, the Associated Press reported.

But the heat is already worse in 2024 in the United States, leading experts to believe the numbers could be higher this year.

Additionally, these numbers could be higher than initially thought.

Experts told the AP that we don’t know how many people die each year in the United States because of a lack of unified reporting.

Utah and Massachusetts are among the states that don’t track heat-related deaths, where exposure to extreme heat was a secondary factor.

“States like Massachusetts don’t track heat deaths because they don’t have to and because no one has really fought for them to do so,” said Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University which studies how cities respond to climate change. WBUR. “And the reason is that historically we have largely failed to recognize how dangerous heat can be.”

But we know that hundreds of people in Massachusetts have to go to the hospital each year due to heat-related illnesses, according to the news outlet.

Many experts say a decades-old standard method, known as excess death counts, could better show how extreme heat harms people.

“You need to look at how many people would not have died in that period and get a real sense of the scale of the impact,” Ebi said, including people who would not have suffered a heart attack or fatal kidney failure without the heat.

In extreme heat, it is important to know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

According to the Mayo Clinic, heat exhaustion is a “condition whose symptoms can include profuse sweating and a rapid heartbeat, the result of your body overheating. It is one of three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heat stroke the most severe.

The organization says people should see a doctor if symptoms “do not improve within an hour.”

“If you are with someone showing signs of heat exhaustion, seek medical attention immediately if they become confused or agitated, lose consciousness, or are unable to drink,” the website states. “You will need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention if your core body temperature (measured by a rectal thermometer) reaches 104°F (40°C) or higher.”

Symptoms of heat exhaustion:

Cool, moist skin with goosebumps when it’s hot
Heavy sweating
Faintness
Dizziness
Fatigue
Weak, rapid pulse
Low blood pressure when standing
Muscle cramps
Nausea
Headache

Heat stroke, however, is the “most serious heat-related illness,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature: the body temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool itself,” the website states. “When heatstroke occurs, body temperature can reach 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency care.

Symptoms of heatstroke:

Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
Loss of consciousness
Hot, dry skin or heavy sweating
Seizures
Very high body temperature

The Associated Press contributed to this report.