56 confirmed deaths due to heat stroke recorded in India in last 3 months: NCDC report

The blistering temperatures have claimed 56 lives since March 1, data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed.  

As per the data shared by states more than 7 lakh people were admitted into emergency wards of primary care hospitals for heat-related ailments. 

The cumulative suspected heat stroke cases since March 1 stood at 24,849, while a total of 56 people died due to heat strokes.  

In May (till May 30), deaths due to heatstroke were recorded at 46, while suspected heatstroke cases stood at 19,189.  

Suspected heat stroke deaths since March 1 stood at 34.  

Of the suspected heat stroke cases, 605 people died of cardiac arrests and deaths from unknown causes were recorded at 19,192.  

The data does not include deaths from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi and the final numbers are expected to be higher, a source said. Sources said that 166 deaths took place in UP while 22 people died of heat stroke in Bihar.  

“Reports on heat stroke deaths are being awaited from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. Some states have reported issues in data entry. The data visible may not be final submission from states. So the numbers are expected to be higher than this,” an official source said.

On May 31, at least 40 suspected heat-related deaths were reported, 25 of them of staff deployed on Lok Sabha poll duty in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to officials, heat-related deaths were reported from Odisha (10), Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4) and Uttar Pradesh (1) on Thursday also. Rajasthan has reported at least five heat-related deaths so far.

The data released by the Union ministry of health showed that maximum deaths from heatstroke took place in Madhya Pradesh (14) followed by Maharashtra with 11 deaths.   

According to NCDC, the cause of death should be certified as heat stroke or hyperthermia where the measured antemortem body temperature at the time of collapse was more than or equal to 40.6 degrees Celsius.

In a set of guidelines released in March, the NCDC defined heat-related death as a death in which exposure to high ambient temperature either caused the loss of life or significantly contributed to it.

Deaths may also be certified as heat stroke or hyperthermia with lower body temperatures when cooling has been attempted prior to arrival at the hospital or when there is a clinical history of mental status changes and elevated liver and muscle enzymes, the document stated.

Country reels under heatwave 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on June 1 said heatwave conditions over northwest, central, and east India will gradually reduce over the next two days.

There will be a gradual fall in maximum temperatures by 2-4 degrees Celsius over northwest and central India during the next five days, said the IMD said in a post on X (formally Twitter).

The gradual fall in temperature is likely in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh-Delhi, West and East Uttar Pradesh, West Rajasthan and East Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha.

 

Parts of northwest and central India have been experiencing heat wave to severe heat wave conditions for weeks, and the temperature in Delhi almost touched 50 degrees Celsius. 

India classifies a heat wave as a situation where the maximum temperature is 4.5 C to 6.4 C above normal, while a severe heat wave occurs when the maximum is higher than normal by 6.5 degrees or more.