CDC reports surge in ED visits during recent heat wave in Northwest

The number of heat-related emergency department visits in the Northwest region surged June 25-30, when most of Oregon and Washington were under a National Weather Service excessive heat warning, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat-related ED visits for hospitals in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington participating in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program surged to 424 June 25-30, up from six the same period in 2019 when no heat advisory was in effect, the authors said. 
 
“The June 2021 northwestern heat wave had a sizeable public health impact,” the report concludes. “Health departments can develop and implement heat response plans, identify at-risk neighborhoods and populations, open cooling centers, and use data to guide public health policy and action to protect their communities from heat-related illness and deaths, especially among disproportionately affected populations.”