As the heat wave continues, cases of heatstroke and heat exhaustion are surging nationwide. On the 11th alone, 99 people with heat-related illness visited emergency rooms, about five times more than the previous day.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 12th, 99 people with heat-related illness visited emergency rooms nationwide the previous day. No deaths were reported.
By region, Gyeonggi had the most with 20, followed by South Gyeongsang with 15, South Chungcheong with 14, North Jeolla with 11, South Jeolla and Gwangju with 7, and Gangwon and North Chungcheong with 6 each. Seoul, Daejeon, and Ulsan had 3 each; Daegu and Jeju had 2 each; and Busan and Incheon had 1 each.
The number of people with heat-related illness jumped from 21 on the 10th to 99 in a single day.
The agency has been operating an emergency room surveillance system for heat-related illness with 516 medical institutions nationwide since May 15. This year's cumulative number of heat-related patients is a provisional 636, with an estimated 2 deaths.
The agency said, "Two delayed reports from medical institutions were additionally received," adding, "Because statistics on heat-related illness are compiled based on the date of symptom onset, 99 cases occurred on the 11th, but two cases were reflected in the cumulative total, bringing it to 636."
Compared with the same period last year (May 15–July 11), when the cumulative number of heat-related patients was 1,512 and the estimated deaths were 9, the scale is still smaller, but patients are increasing rapidly as the recent heat wave continues.
Of those who developed heat-related illness this year, 28.8% were 65 or older. By condition, heat exhaustion was the most common at 57.7%.
The time of occurrence was highest between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. at 15.4%, followed by 2–3 p.m. (11.0%) and 3–4 p.m. (10.4%). The place of occurrence was mostly outdoors, such as fields, at 86.5%.
The agency urged the public to follow heat illness prevention guidelines during the ongoing heat wave, such as drinking water frequently even if not thirsty and refraining from outdoor activities during the hottest hours.