Health and Medicine, Australia (Commonwealth Union) – Warnings on heatstrokes due to heatwaves have been issued in many countries across the world in recent days. Heatwaves, defined as prolonged periods of excessively hot weather, pose significant risks to human health, ecosystems, and overall societal well-being. In this article, we will explore the causes and impacts of heat waves, as well as potential strategies to mitigate their effects.
Heatwaves can have severe consequences for human health, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children, pregnant women, persons working outdoors, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can lead to heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Additionally, heat waves can worsen cardiovascular and respiratory conditions and increase the risk of dehydration and heat-related deaths.
The socio-economic consequences of heat waves are significant. Heatwaves can strain energy systems as demand for cooling escalates, leading to power outages and infrastructure failures. Reduced agricultural productivity and crop failures due to extreme heat can threaten food security and lead to price hikes. The labor force may also face reduced productivity, impacting economic growth and exacerbating existing social inequalities.
Observations have been made by researchers of a high volume of calls to the Queensland Ambulance Service to over 20 percent as some kind of heatwave is underway. Researchers have urged communities to raise their awareness in regard to the detrimental effects of heat waves as they increase and become more severe.
Hannah Mason who is a Lecturer at the James Cook University, College of Public Health, Medical & Vet Sciences. She is also the lead author of a study analyzing heatwaves and emergency ‘Triple Zero’ (000) which is Australia’s emergency number which had calls to the Queensland Ambulance Service from 2010 to 2019.
Miss Mason indicated that the heat waves are a significant as well as an increased threat to health and well-being and are predicted to elevate in severity, duration, and frequency as a result of climate change.
She emphasized that heat waves raise the risk of heat stress-linked conditions and further inflame pre-existing conditions like heart and renal disease.
Miss Mason engaged with Professor of public health research Richard Franklin as well as researchers from the Queensland Ambulance Service along with the Queensland Health for the research that received funds from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
She stated that researchers observed that emergency ambulance calls to Triple Zero in Queensland went up on average by 12.7 percent as the heatwaves occurred.
“The effect was greatest during low-severity heatwaves (22.2%), followed by severe heatwaves (14.3%), and lowest during extreme heatwaves (1.2%). Those living in very remote areas and major cities were most impacted, along with those of low and middle socioeconomic status during low and severe intensity heatwave events,” added Miss Mason.
She stated that discovering that emergency ambulance calls were fewer as extreme heatwaves were underway may be linked to risk perception as well as alterations in behavior.
“It’s possible Queenslanders are aware of the dangers of extreme heatwaves and mitigate risk by staying indoors during these events but are more willing to ignore risks and carry out their usual outdoor activities during low-severity heatwaves. Adaptive behaviors during heatwaves need further investigation,” she explained.
Miss Mason stated that post-heatwave effects went on for at least ten days and that ambulance calls persisted at an increased rate than average when this occurred, although the 1st three days following a heatwave have the most concern.
She also indicated that heat waves end up as disasters when communities do not have the ability to effectively adjust, which puts pressure on response agencies. The Queensland Ambulance Service has recognized the requirement to meet the threat of the changing climate for its strategic plan.
