Heat-related illness: Know the signs as temps reach triple digits
Southern regions may endure intense heat along with substantial humidity after the middle of this week, according to Accuweather. The number of heat-related deaths in the US has increased dramatically, with mortality rates more than tripling between 1999 and 2023, according research in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Here's a look at where the high heat is expected and how to recognize and treat heat-related illnesses.
Temperatures will exceed 90s in most of the East and West this week
The National Weather Service stated on June 24 that a record-breaking heat wave spanning from the Midwest and Lower Mississippi Valley to the East Coast is currently impacting nearly 160 million people.
Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.
High temperatures bring risk of heat illnesses
The body has a hard time controlling its temperature when it's hot and humid. Your well-being may depend on your ability to recognize the signs of excessive heat exposure and respond appropriately.
These are some of the signs and symptoms of heat illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
More: Is your state one of the hottest today in this heat wave? See heat index map
Heat index chart calculates danger of combined humidity and heat
The National Weather Service cautions that "extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities."
How to help someone who has heatstroke
How to help someone with heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is considered a less severe condition than heatstroke, according to the CDC. But the agency still suggests some treatments:
Additional tips to stay cool
CONTRIBUTING Gabe Hauari
SOURCE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Federal Emergency Management Agency; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Emergency Operations Center, Houston, USA TODAY Network reporting and research
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Tick bites sending more people to ER than years past, CDC data shows
The Northeast has been hit especially hard, with 283 ER visits per 100,000 attributed to tick bites. This summer is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in recent years, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Emergency room visits related to tick bites have spiked in 2025, reaching their highest point in five years nationwide, according to the CDC's Tick Bite Data Tracker. The Northeast has been hit particularly hard, with tick bites accounting for 283 ER visits per 100,000 during the peak month of May, up from 209 around the same time in 2024. The CDC reported by July 6 that the number of emergency department visits for tick bites had already exceeded nearly 10 years of July records, with 92 visits per 100,000 reported across the nation. Children ages 0 to 9 and people over the age of 70 were the most common of these ER visitors. Vector-borne illness, or disease transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, has been on the rise in part due to climate change, said the CDC. With shorter and warmer winters becoming the norm, fewer disease-carrying ticks are dying off in the cold months, increasing the number that survive and can bite humans when the weather warms up. Other factors, including land use, pest control and access to healthcare, impact how many tick bites are reported and if related diseases are spread amongst the local human and pet population. Risk and symptoms of tick bites Lyme disease is one of the most common tickborne illnesses, but the insects can carry several other diseases capable of infecting animals and humans. Humans may contract a variety of pathogens from ticks, according to the CDC, including: The CDC notes that many tickborne illnesses have similar symptoms, with some of the most common including: How to prevent tick bites The best cure for tick-borne illness is prevention, according to the CDC, which suggests the following to protect yourself from bites: Contributing: Bailey Allen, USA TODAY Network; Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘Most serious' kind of plague kills Arizona resident, health officials say
An Arizona resident has died from the 'most serious' form of the plague, health officials said. The person tested positive for pneumonic plague July 11 in Coconino County, the Health and Human Services Department said in a news release. Pneumonic plague is a 'severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium,' health officials said. It's the first reported death related to this form of the plague in Coconino County since 2007, officials said. That year, the person was infected after coming into contact with a dead animal with the disease, officials said. Health officials said it's rare for humans to get the plague as there are about seven cases in the U.S. every year. Because of this, the risk of exposure for the public is low, officials said. People are most commonly infected with three types of the plague: pneumonic, bubonic and septicemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Someone can get pneumonic plague when the bacteria spreads to the lungs while a person is infected with bubonic or septicemic plague, the federal agency said It can also be transmitted when a person inhales the droplets from a sick person or animal. 'Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person,' the agency said.
New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
Arizona patient dies of bubonic plague as health officials warn prairie dog die-off could signal outbreak
An Arizona resident has died from the bubonic plague as health officials warned that a prairie dog die-off in the region could signal an outbreak of the lethal illness. The person died at Flagstaff Medical Center the same day they arrived exhibiting serious symptoms, Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement Thursday. Details about the person and when they died have not been released. 4 A person in Arizona has died from the bubonic plague as officials are looking into whether the illness is also to blame for a spate of prairie dog deaths. MatyasSipos – Advertisement Officials in the northern Arizona county of Coconino had already been looking into whether the plague was responsible for a rash of prairie dog deaths in the area, according to the county's health and human services department. Prairie dogs are rodents, which are known carriers of fleas with the Black Death-causing Yersinia pestis bacterium. An autopsy of the human victim revealed they were infected with the same germ, according to a report by the Independent. 4 The rare and ancient illness is often carried by rodents with infected fleas. Advertisement Coconino health officials are working with the property owner that reported the rodent deaths to collect and test fleas. The rare and ancient disease is responsible for an average of seven deaths a year, most of which occur in remote parts of Western states, like Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The plague notably was responsible for killing off tens of millions of people in Europe in the 14th Century. 4 The victim was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center after showing signs of the disease and they died the same day. AP The bacteria can cause three types of plague — bubonic when the lymph nodes are affected, septicemic when the bloodstream is hit, and pneumonic when the lungs are targeted. Advertisement The US typically deals with the bubonic plague with symptoms usually showing up within a week of infection, which normally occurs after someone is bitten by a flea that came off of a rodent. 4 The victim's autopsy revealed they were infected with the germ. Getty Images The illness has over a 90% survival rate when treated with antibiotics that are ideally administered within 24-hours of symptoms popping up. If left untreated, the disease can be deadly. Clues that someone has the rare illness include fever, chills, nausea, weakness and swollen, painful glands.
