[Graphic News] ER patients with heat-related illnesses up 31%, seniors most affected

The number of heat-related emergency room patients increased by 31.4 percent this year compared to the previous year, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Between May 20 and Sept. 30, 3,704 people were treated for heat-related illnesses in ERs, marking a sharp rise from last year.

This year, 34 people reportedly died from heat-related conditions, a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year. The most cases occurred in 2018, with 4,526 patients, making 2024 the second worst year for such cases. Similarly, the number of heat-related deaths this year was the second highest after 2018, when 48 people died.

Older people, particularly those over the age of 80, accounted for 29.4 percent of the deaths (10 individuals). More men (20) than women (14) succumbed to heat-related illnesses, and outdoor deaths far exceeded indoor cases, with 28 occurring outdoors compared to 6 indoors.

In August, 28.2 percent of heat-related illnesses (1,045 cases) were reported, corresponding with a period when temperatures peaked at 33.6 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees higher than the same time last year. This was also when 15 of the 34 heat-related deaths occurred.