Science continues to warn that temperature average is rising throughout the planet and Cordova is not immune to this trend. The health alerts for heat In summer they are in continuous growth in Córdobaaccording to data provided by the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia. Summer will officially begin this Friday, June 21 and, although this Thursday the maximum value is going to be quite bearable, 29 degrees, For Sunday it is expected that temperatures will reach or even exceed 40 degrees After the thermometer progressively rises on Friday and Saturday, collect the information published by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
The Ministry of Health launched its Prevention Plan High temperatures 2024 in Andalusia, whose priority objective is minimize the effects of heat on the health of the populationwith special attention to the most vulnerable groups.
When the alert is activated
In the last 12 years The Ministry of Health has had to activate in 106 times the health alert due to excessive temperatures in Córdoba. In the case of Córdoba, the health alert for heat is in force when temperatures exceed the threshold of 41.4 degrees maximum and 22 degrees minimum for one or more days, with several levels depending on how many days the episode lasts. These alerts are not equivalent to Aemet notices.which are more numerous, since for there to be an alert, these warnings must last for several days.
In 2012 the Ministry of Health activated a health alert seven times in Córdoba, while in 2013 and 2014 none were counted. Later, in 2015 there were 11; in 2016 (4); 2017 (9)); 2018 (1); 2019 (5); 2020 (18); 2021 (7); 2022 (12 and 2023 (32). These data indicate that In the last year, Córdoba endured almost triple the number of health alerts due to high temperatures compared to the year 2022, since, if in 2022 there were 12, in 2023 there were 32.
Alert levels
Of the 32 health alerts in 2022 in Córdoba20 were yellow level, 10 orange and 2 red. Between May and September 2023, the Ministry of Health activated 220 health alerts throughout Andalusia.
An ambulance, in the Reina Sofía Emergency Service.
The zero or green level health alert exists when the thresholds are not exceeded. It moves to the yellow level when the number of days with predicted and observed temperatures above the thresholds is one or two. The orange level occurs when the days with predicted and observed temperatures above the thresholds are up to four and the red level (high risk) is reported when the days with predicted and observed temperatures above the thresholds is five or more.
Summer 2023 Emergencies
The Ministry of Health highlights that of the 32 emergencies due to heat stroke that occurred in the summer of 2023 In Córdoba (6 less than in 2022), 11 were treated in hospitals and the remaining 21 received treatment in health centers, emergencies or primary care critical care facilities. No deaths for this reason were recorded in the province in the summer of last year, although there were 4 in Andalusia. In Andalusia, a total of 504 emergencies related to heat stroke were treated during the summer of 2023.
Since 2019, none have been registered death official due to heat stroke in Córdoba, But a total of 23 deaths have been recorded for this reason in the province since this statistic began to be recorded in 2004, two decades ago.
Assistance in hospitals and primary care
Córdoba hospitals recorded 115,860 emergencies throughout the summer of 2023, due to pathologies of all kinds, among which there were 11 heat strokes and 54 pathologies linked to heat. For its part, in the primary care last summer’s activity in Córdoba added 222,415 attendancesof which 21 were heat strokes and 31 were pathologies associated with high temperatures.
Besides, case and family nurse managers monitored 1,560 most vulnerable patients in the province of Córdobafrom May to September 2023 to check that they were not suffering the consequences of high temperatures.
Which population is most at risk from the heat?
The population most at risk from high temperatures are over 65 years old, chronically ill or people taking medication that may influence the body’s adaptation to heat, such as psychotropics, antidepressants, hypotensives and diuretics, as well as children and infants and those who work or carry out physical activity with exposure to the sun.
