Starting Today, 'Heat-Related Illness Emergency Room Surveillance System' Activated to Prepare for This Summer's Heatwave

1,376 Heat Illness Patients and 20 Deaths Last Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on the 20th that it will operate the "Heat-related Illness Emergency Room Surveillance System" until September 30 to minimize health damage caused by summer heatwaves.

Heat-related illnesses are acute conditions such as heatstroke and heat exhaustion that occur after prolonged exposure to hot environments, showing symptoms like dizziness, muscle cramps, fatigue, and decreased consciousness.

The KDCA, in cooperation with over 500 emergency room-operating medical institutions nationwide, local health centers, and each city and province, will identify patients with heat-related illnesses visiting emergency rooms and monitor the health impacts of heatwaves. The collected data on heat-related illness occurrences will be provided daily on the KDCA website.

Last year, 1,376 heat-related illness cases were identified through the surveillance system, with 20 deaths among them. The number of deaths from heat-related illnesses was the second highest ever, following 2018 (48 deaths), with all causes presumed to be heatstroke.

Among the heat-related illness patients, males accounted for 76%, and by age group, those aged 80 and above had the highest incidence rate at 7.6 per 100,000 people.

By region, the highest number of heat-related illness cases occurred in Gyeonggi (271), Gyeongnam (126), Gyeongbuk (124), Seoul (121), and Jeonnam (110), with outdoor workplaces (555 cases, 40%) being the most common location of occurrence.

Baek Kyung-ran, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts that this summer will have more hot days than usual, so we must prepare for heat-related illnesses caused by sudden heat. We will provide timely information on the occurrence status to enable early recognition and rapid response to health damage caused by heatwaves."