SILVER SPRING, MD – April 22, 2024 – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with the National Weather Service to create a new dashboard that forecasts the daily risk for heat-related impacts in the continental United States. The announcement was made on April 22^nd, ahead of the hot summer months. It can provide risk guidance for “decision-makers” and heat-sensitive populations, to reduce heat-related illness and death.

The dashboard is at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk . There is an easy-to-read color-coded map that forecasts the risk of heat-related impacts over the next 7 days.

The risk categories for heat-related impacts are:

• Green: Little to no risk
• Yellow (Minor): Individuals extremely sensitive to heat can be affected.
• Orange (Moderate): Most individuals sensitive to heat can be affected.
• Red (Major): Anyone can be affected.
• Magenta (Extreme): Describes long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief.

Heat-sensitive populations include:

• Seniors and very young children
• Persons taking certain medicines or with chronic illness
• Outdoor workers
• People without access to air conditioning
• Persons working out or doing strenuous activities
• Persons not taking adequate heat-illness prevention
• Persons and workers not used to hot weather

It is recommended that everyone take frequent breaks out of the heat and rest in a cool, shady place, drink plenty of water (at least one pint per hour), and wear light-colored, lightweight and loose-fitting clothing.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that employers:

• Have an emergency plan in place for workers who show signs of heat-related illness
• Train supervisors and workers about the hazards of heat exposure and its prevention
• Provide all new workers with a 1-2-week period of work restrictions until they become acclimatized to the heat
• Provide frequent rest breaks
• Closely monitor employees for symptoms of heat stress
• Have employees ‘buddy up’ to watch each other for signs of heat stress

In an April 22^nd press release, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said, “Heat can impact our health, but heat-related illness and death are preventable. We are releasing new heat and health tools and guidance to help people take simple steps to stay safe in the heat.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

UNITED STATES – Summertime, 2024 –  Heat-related illness is the nation’s leader of weather-related fatalities. About 700 people every year die in the United States from exposure to extreme heat, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Climate change has caused more frequent extreme weather events like higher temperatures and heat waves; therefore, people are faced with more occasions to develop heat-related illness.

People can overheat very quickly leading to potential health problems. Heat exhaustion occurs to due to loss of water and salt from excessive sweating. Signs include: headache, dizziness, fainting, weakness, heavy sweating, confusion, thirst, nausea or vomiting. People should get out of the heat with any signs of heat exhaustion. Heat stroke is a more severe condition and can be fatal. Sweating stops and the body can no longer remove excess heat. Signs include: confusion, passing out, seizures, and hot dry skin. Anyone with signs of heat stroke should be moved to a cooler place to lower body temperature immediately followed by a 911 call for immediate medical assistance.

Many factors play a role creating heat stress like environmental conditions, physical activity, clothing or protection gear, and individual risk factors. Environmental heat factors include: air temperature, humidity, local radiant heat sources, and air flow. The heat index, commonly used to measure environmental conditions, is determined by air temperature and humidity. An index above 80 is considered to be a significant minimal threshold to develop heat-related illness.

Most outdoor fatalities occur in the first few days of working in hot environments because the body has not built up a tolerance to heat. The lack of acclimatization is one of the major risk factors for heat-stress fatalities at work. Acclimatization is a beneficial physiologic adaptation of building up a tolerance to heat that occurs after repeated exposure to a hot environment.

Millions of workers are exposed to heat in the workplace and may develop heat-related illness in indoor and outdoor environments. A disproportionate number of these jobs are held by persons of color. At-risk indoor industries include: kitchens, bakeries, steel mills, manufacturing with local heat sources, and warehouses. At-risk outdoor industries include: farming, construction, landscaping, and oil operations.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC –  May 1, 2024 – The CDC’s COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 20^th shows:  

• Hospital admission levels are low in every county in North Carolina, including Buncombe County. They are low in almost 100% of the counties in the U.S. Admissions have decreased in the U.S., North Carolina and Buncombe County from the previous week.
• Less than 2% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 2^nd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are minimal in North Carolina, less than 1% of all ER visits

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard for the week ending on April 17^th shows:

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at the 2^nd lowest level of 5 groups.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, at the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]