Arizona hospitals overwhelmed by heat-related illnesses

2023-08-13 18:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Arizona hospitals overwhelmed by heat-related illnesses

Illustrative photo

As the world recorded its hottest month of all time in July, the southwestern US city of Phoenix in the state of Arizona broke the heat record set in the state in 1974, with temperatures above 43°C for 31 consecutive days.

Doctors in Phoenix say this has been the hardest year yet for hospitals overflowing with heat-related illnesses.

Heat-sensitive pictures in late July revealed an even hotter Phoenix, with concrete on streets registering 66°C, workers' bodies outdoors reaching 41°C and homeless people surrounded by surfaces as hot as 62 °C.

Health workers say hospitals are overflowing with patients suffering from heatstroke, sometimes life-threatening.

"It's a very, very troubling time. We haven't been this busy with this number of patients who are this sick since the COVID pandemic ," said Dr. Frank LoVecchio at Valleywise Health in Phoenix.

To lower their temperatures as quickly as possible, patients are placed in a layer of ice mixed with water.

"The thing that lowers the temperature the fastest is ice mixed with water. This is not for everyone, it is for patients who come in with super high temperatures and usually unconscious," says doctor Frank LoVecchio.

At noon, the record temperature is 43°C, but the surface temperature is an oven-like 65.5°C. A construction worker drinks water and the camera shows that his body is at 43°C.

Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, is now a city of 1.6 million people, the fifth most populous in the United States. It gained momentum over 150 years ago with the arrival of young people, who built irrigation canals to make the land fertile.

Despite its location in the Sonoran Desert—which straddles the southwestern US and northern Mexico—Phoenix has become a favorite for retirees, drawn to its year-round sun and mountainous backdrop.

Sometimes people pass out on the scorching pavement, suffering severe burns.

"Unfortunately, some of them are found unconscious and just being on the ground for a short period of time can cause burns. We have one of the busiest burn centers in the country and they unfortunately have seen many patients with superficial burns or contact burns, who will says they've touched something that's really hot. When the temperature outside is 37 °C on the pavement that's in direct sunlight, the temperature can rise above 65 °C."

The heat also worsens conditions such as diabetes, lung disease and heart problems.

Maricopa County, where Phoenix is ??located, reported 39 confirmed heat-related deaths as of the end of July, with more than 300 more under investigation to determine if they were caused by the heat./ VOA