Heat waves in Brazil record 120,000 associated deaths in 20 years

Data shows that at least 120,000 people have died associated with heat waves in Brazil in the last 20 years. The number represents 1% (0.6%) of the total mortality recorded in the period.

The study "Health and heat waves: mortality, morbidity and implications for the SUS in Brazil" was published this Wednesday (17), to understand the pattern of exposure to heat events and the effects on humans in the country.

"It is expected that the information presented can support the strengthening of the SUS to deal with climate change, offering national and subnational managers evidence on the growing risks of impact from extreme heat" points out Sávio Raeder, specialist in the Science&Climate project at MCTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation).

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Data on deaths in 5,566 Brazilian cities were analyzed, using the SUS (Unified Health System) Mortality information system, the period was considered between 2000 and 2019.

The elderly, as a risk group, were the most affected, with almost one hundred thousand (97) deaths of people aged 65 or over, representing 80% of the total over the 20 years analyzed.

Among the most common deaths are cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Children under ten years of age were most affected by diarrhea, the condition may be associated with lack of hydration.

Researchers from Fiocruz and UFBA (Federal University of Bahia) coordinating teams from two projects: Ciência&Clima and ProAdapta.

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Methodology
In total, there were three steps to make the data viable, one of which mapped and traced characteristics of heat waves in the national territory, using a methodology that adopted as criteria at least two days with temperatures above the average percentage.

"The innovation of this study is in integrating, on a national scale, the characterization of heat waves, considering frequency, intensity and duration, with a detailed analysis of their impacts on hospital admissions and mortality", says Beatriz Oliveira, researcher at Fiocruz, responsible for conducting the study.

Then he identified risk estimates for exposure to heat waves covered by the SUS (Unified Health System). Finally, scientists estimated mortality and estimated the number of deaths considering sociodemographic characteristics.

Source: CNN