Heat is becoming deadly! So far 143 people have died due to heat wave, more than 41 thousand cases of heat stroke

New Delhi: There is severe heat in many states across the country including Delhi-NCR. So far, about 143 people have died due to heat across the country. The worst situation is in North India. However, the actual number of deaths due to heat may be even higher. Apart from this, more than 41 thousand cases of heatstroke have also been reported. This information was given to agency PTI by Health Ministry sources on Friday. On the instructions of Union Health Minister JP Nadda, the ministry has issued an advisory to the state health departments regarding ‘Heat Wave 2024’.

So far 143 deaths have been reported due to heat wave

The Health Ministry advisory said that like the last few years, this time too the summer season is expected to have higher than normal temperatures. Excessive heat and heat can be dangerous for health. The Center has asked the health departments of the states to be prepared to deal with every situation and has also instructed them to be ready to help the people. Heatwave continues to wreak havoc across the country. Between March 1 and June 20, 143 deaths and 41,789 cases of heatstroke have been reported in India due to heatwave. Experts believe that the real figures may be much higher than this. This is because the states are not sending complete data.

53 people died due to heat in Delhi

The capital Delhi is experiencing record heat this year. Till Thursday, at least 53 people have died due to the scorching heat in Delhi itself. Although the weather changed from Thursday evening and the temperature has decreased a bit due to rain in many places, government hospitals and the state government have confirmed many deaths since April itself. Apart from the reported figures, it is estimated that about 100 more people may have died due to heat in Delhi. Of these, 40 deaths have been recorded in Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDU), although the cause of death will be confirmed only after the post-mortem.

It is difficult to accurately ascertain deaths in the heat

Heat-related deaths may be more than the figures reported by health departments. This is because many deaths are not recorded. Also, it is difficult to establish a direct link between heat and death.

Health Minister gave instructions to the states

Union Health Minister JP Nadda has directed officials to visit government hospitals in the current heat and take stock of the special arrangements for the affected patients. Along with this, he/she has also asked to find out the number of deaths due to heatstroke in recent days. Nadda has emphasized on the preparation of hospitals to provide better treatment to the affected people.

Uttar Pradesh most affected

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the worst affected state with 37 deaths. It is followed by Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha. According to NCDC data, between March 1 and June 19, 17 people died in Bihar, 16 in Rajasthan and 13 in Odisha. The health department has instructed all states to monitor deaths due to heat wave. Also, they have been asked to provide the total number of deaths since March 1.