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New Delhi: An early summer has prompted the union health ministry to direct states and UTs to share daily updates on heat stroke cases and heatwave deaths.The data is being monitored by the Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP) of the National Centre for Disease Control (NDCD).India Metrological Department has warned of above-normal maximum temperatures in most parts of the country, especially in northern and central India.Meanwhile, state and central field officers are being trained in climate-sensitive diseases and issues, heat-related illnesses and its health impact.Also read | India is heating up: Why March felt like May and the worst is yet to come“The State Nodal Officers under the National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health are ensuring that the health facilities are prepared to tackle heat related illness in the country. They have been directed to monitor the daily surveillance data for preparedness and response. Daily submission of data on heat stroke cases and deaths, emergency alert is being put on IHIP portal,” said an official familiar with the matter.Exposure to high outdoor and indoor temperature can induce heat stress, leading to heat related illness. Usually, cases of heat stroke and related deaths are common during mass sporting events, political events, pilgrimage related mass gatherings.“The government is ensuring proper management and documentation of all patients treated for heat related illness and their follow-up if required, said the official familiar with the matter adding that in cases of heat related death, autopsy findings have to be recommended.Also read | As temperatures soar, consumers rush for ACs, coolers to beat the heat“The state governments have been directed for clinical criteria to categorize heat related deaths. The Centre is still in the process of collating the data,” the official added.Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), said, “Global warming is leading to extreme heat conditions, and it is going to get worse. The world is not on track to keep the rise in temperature under 1.5 degree (compared to Pre-industrial times) which was agreed at the Paris COP 2015. So, the warming may go upto 2 or beyond 2 degrees. The rise in heat waves is seen all over the world and is impacting India in multiple ways. We need to prevent human deaths and illness and also reduce the impact on livestock and agriculture.””IMD has a very good monitoring system, but we need to further refine our predictions in terms of accuracy and improving the geographic localization and the timing, duration and extent of the heat wave. Our predictions need to be more localized. Also read | Beat the heat: Why hydration is the best hack to face extreme summersInstead of giving alerts for some part of the State, we should be more specific and say which districts, and sub-districts are going to have this average temperature range and for how many days. Humidity, wind speed and other factors also play a role and some regional Met centres are now providing heat index predictions. This kind of warning has to come well in advance. We have good data and artificial intelligence to do predictions, and this will help people, employers, municipal authorities and hospitals to prepare well” said Dr Swaminathan.Queries sent to the Directorate General of Health Services at the health ministry and NCDC remained unanswered.
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