9,000 Americans Have Died From The Heat This Year
How many people die of the heat in the US each year? It depends on who is counting. Almost all research and government estimates put the figure too low. Usually, the number is between 1,000 and 2,000. The CDC’s most recent estimate is even below that. “More than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States,” the agency reports.
The annual heat-death figure is even more confusing when you look at city and state reports. Maricopa County, which is where Phoenix is, would have the highest number of heat deaths of any county in the country. Its medical examiner reported 645 heat deaths in 2023. If that figure is right, most national numbers under 2,000 have to be wrong.
Heat Death Identification
Recently, NPR and Boston University reported a national count of over 9,000. The issue is that heat deaths are usually a result of extremely high heat and other underlying health problems. A summary of the report said, “Heat is rarely the sole cause of death, often exacerbating existing health conditions.” This makes preventing heat-related death complicated. Doctors and emergency workers need to know the preexisting conditions before people get very sick from heat and reach emergency rooms. That is often not possible because emergency rooms rarely have the medical records of people who arrive in critical condition.
The problem NPR identified means the count could be above 10,000. Not every death certificate of people who suffer from heat stroke mentions the condition at all.
Prevention Is Difficult
The number of deaths shifts the focus to heat-related death prevention. And this can be immensely complex. Prevention means isolating a few groups for heat health reasons. The CDC reports, “Older adults, young children, and people with chronic medical conditions are at high risk for heat-related illness and death.” This is a very broad range of people.
Preventing heat death is clearly more complex than identifying people with heatstroke.
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