Tragically, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has updated the total number of heat-related deaths to 25 for the months of June, July, and August after an extensive examination of data from Louisiana Vital Records. The previous total reported on Aug. 4 was 16.
Twenty-two of the deaths were male; three were female. Data shows men are often overrepresented in heat deaths because they are more likely to work outdoors. The age breakdown among individuals is as follows:
- 30-49: 7
- 50-64: 6
- 65+: 12
LDH has been monitoring heat-related emergency department visits since April using syndromic surveillance and began examining heat-related deaths using death records due to the record number of Excessive Heat Warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a state of emergency due to excessive heat on Aug. 14.
There have been 4,766 heat-related emergency department visits in Louisiana since April 1. From 2010 to 2020, there were an average of 2,700 emergency department visits annually, according to an Office of Public Health (OPH) report released in April. Louisiana continues to monitor heat-related illness and heat-related emergency department visits using syndromic surveillance led by OPH’s Occupational Heat-Related Illness and Injury Program.
“Every life lost to a heat-related cause is tragic, and it is a reminder that excessive heat can carry dangerous health consequences,” said LDH Secretary Stephen Russo. “It is critical that everyone in Louisiana take precautions during extreme heat events, especially workers in physically demanding occupations who are frequently outdoors. Heat-related illness and death are preventable, and I encourage Louisiana residents to know the signs of heat-related illness, stay indoors with air conditioning if possible, and remember to hydrate, rest and stay in the shade if they must be outdoors. They should also check on their neighbors, and loved ones, especially those who are elderly.”
The 25 deaths that were reported to OPH Bureau of Vital Records contained information in the record that indicated the primary or contributing cause of deaths was recorded as either hyperthermia or heat related. The information provided in a death record is sent to Vital Records through an online system called LEERS.
LDH is planning to launch a dashboard that will display heat-related deaths and will be updated weekly. Total numbers of deaths per month and demographic data is subject to change as death records are continually filed with Vital Records. In some cases, it can take eight weeks or more to finalize investigations and file death records. This is due to a number of factors, such as coroners awaiting investigative information like toxicology reports or autopsy results.