India Reports 56 Deaths Due To Heat Strokes, 46 Only In May: Health Ministry

New Delhi: As the intense heat wave swept the nation, India reported 56 deaths due to heat strokes in the past three months out of which 46 deaths were recorded in May alone, according to data by Union Health Ministry data.

The data compiled by the National Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) revealed that Madhya Pradesh reported the maximum deaths, 14, followed by Maharashtra,11, then Andhra Pradesh with 5 deaths.

19,189 cases of suspected heat stroke were only reported in May. The country has reported a total of 24,849 since March.

The data does not include the recent deaths from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi, meaning the deaths of 25 staff deployed at polls in UP’s Mirzapur is not in the reported data. Hence the actual numbers of the deaths is expected to be higher.

Out of the current numbers, Madhya Pradesh reported the maximum number of heatstroke cases-6,584, followed by Rajasthan-4,357 cases, and then Andhra Pradesh with -3,239 cases.

“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.

According to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the cause of death should be certified as the heat stroke or hyperthermia where the measured antemortem temperature of the body at the time of collapse was more than or equal to 40.6 degree celsius.

“Autopsy Findings in Heat Related Deaths”, a set of guidelines released by the NCDC in March, 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.

There were two or more intense heat spells in May according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the first one lasted from May 1 to May 7 over Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal and parts of peninsular India.

The second heat spell lasted from 16 May to 26 May over Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Southwest Delhi with temperature soaring up to 50 degree Celsius.

(Inputs From PTI)