Heat-Related Ailments Are Prompting More Folks To Seek Medical Care
Noting such high temperatures can be especially dangerous for people with underlying health conditions, doctors say symptoms — dehydration, dizziness, a racing heart rate, nausea and confusion — should let people know to seek fluids and cooler climes. Separately, officials are investigating whether extreme heat is playing a part in the spread of bird flu.
The Baltimore Sun:
ER Doctors Urge Caution Amid Uptick In Heat-Related Illnesses
A blessed reprieve may be on the horizon after days of oppressive heat, but emergency room doctors in Baltimore say the latest heat wave has been a reminder that hot weather isn’t just uncomfortable – it can be dangerous. (Roberts, 7/17)
Axios:
Heat Wave Fans Spread Of Avian Flu
The extreme heat that's been blanketing large parts of the country is creating conditions that could accelerate the spread of avian flu on dairy and poultry farms. (Reed, 7/17)
CIDRAP:
Officials Probe Heat-Wave Factors In H5N1 Spread To Colorado Poultry Cullers
As the investigation continues into recent avian flu infections in as many as five workers who culled Colorado poultry, officials today said that industrial fans in poultry barns where temperatures exceeded 104°F could have spread the virus through windblown feathers and through the air, potentially reducing the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE). Also, early genetic analysis suggests that the virus that infected the poultry and the workers is the same H5N1 genotype infecting dairy cattle, a useful clue for officials who are examining connections between the farms. (Schnirring, 7/16)
In related news from across the country —
The Washington Post:
D.C. Hits Record 104 Amid Most Intense Heat Stretch Since Dust Bowl
The ongoing heat wave in Washington keeps making history. The District tied a record high of 104 degrees Tuesday while surpassing the century mark for the third straight day, matching the longest such streak on record set in 1930 at the beginning of the Dust Bowl. (Livingston and Samenow, 7/16)
The New York Times:
New York City Tenants Are Entitled To Heat. What About Air-Conditioning?
As New York City endures its third heat wave of the year, a city councilman plans to introduce a bill this week that would require landlords to buy, install and maintain air-conditioning units or cooling systems for tenants during the summer, with fines of up to $1,250 per day for noncompliance. (Howard, 7/17)
The New York Times:
Air-Conditioning Is A Perk Many New York Homeless Shelters Don’t Allow
The sun was about to set Monday evening and the temperature was still 90 degrees. The air was thick and oppressive. Shaasia Wood and her 4-year-old son were hanging out on the sidewalk, hoping for a breeze, near the homeless shelter where they live in Upper Manhattan. ... The city allows air-conditioners in units in the shelters that are not in hotels, but only if residents obtain a note from a health care provider saying that air-conditioning is medically necessary. At least that is how the process is supposed to work. (Newman and Roberts-Grmela, 7/16)
Also —
AP:
Southern Europe Bakes Under Heat Wave As Temperatures Top 104F
The Italian health ministry placed 12 cities under the most severe heat warning Tuesday as a wave of hot air from Africa baked southern Europe and the Balkans and sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the worst still to come. ... Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to look after elderly people in particular as civil protection crews fielded calls for water-dropping aircraft such as Canadairs to douse wildfires that raged in southern Italy and North Macedonia. (Winfield and Stellacci, 7/17)
