Number of heat-related deaths in June rises to four, all in Prince George’s County
By the end of June, four people had died from heat-related illnesses, with all deaths recorded in Prince George’s County, according to the state’s latest data.
The second half of the month also saw a rise in hospital visits for heat-related illnesses statewide, as the heat wave that still gripped the state began. The National Weather Service issued a “heat advisory” for most of Maryland for Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon.
Maryland state health officials have urged citizens to protect themselves during the summer months and issued safety recommendations to help citizens keep cool.
“We continue to urge everyone to stay safe in the heat. Things will be bad on Tuesday and Wednesday as well,” Chase Cook, communications director for the Maryland Department of Health, said in an emailed statement Monday.
The agency reported on June 5 that the first heat-related death of 2024 was a 59-year-old Hispanic man living in Prince George’s County. Since then, three more deaths, all men, have been reported in the county. Two were over 65 years old and one was between 45 and 64 years old; two of the victims were black and the third was listed as “other.”
A Prince George’s County spokesman declined to comment on the deaths, referring to the state Department of Health. Cook said Monday he could not immediately comment on the death trend.
The figures are included in the state Department of Health’s weekly heat-related illness surveillance report, which runs from May to September each year.
The latest available data show that since the start of the monitoring period through June 29, there were a total of 443 emergency department visits by people with heat-related illnesses. About half of those occurred in the last two weeks of June, according to the weekly reports.
The report shows that the number of emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses was around 30 in the first two weeks of June, then rose to 161 during the week of June 16-22, and then fell again to 116 during the week of June 23-29.
Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to serious and even fatal illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. During the week of June 16, Governor Wes Moore (D-M) declared a “state of preparedness” ahead of a sweltering weekend in which the National Weather Service placed parts of Maryland under an “extreme heat warning.”
Monitoring reports from recent years indicate that heat-related deaths and illnesses peak in July.
The health department recorded a total of nine heat-related deaths during Maryland’s heat season last year, compared to five deaths in 2022, one of the lowest death tolls in the past decade.
Chris Combs cowboy look and other fashion successes after weight loss
Reddit leak shows that ChatGPT’s voice assistant has even more tricks up its sleeve
Sam’s Club lowers the sign-up fee, but consider these perks and savings at Costco
About The Author
