Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Heatwaves in Hong Kong over the last 10 years may have contributed to more than 1,600 deaths. This is based on a projection calculated by university researchers. They urged authorities to create a plan to reduce health risks in extreme weather.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) looked into 18 heatwaves in the city between 2014 and 2023. They estimated that each heatwave caused about 93 extra deaths. This resulted in 1,677 extra deaths from 2014 to 2023. They found a higher number of extra deaths among people aged 60 to 84, compared with other age groups.
Professor David Bishai is the director of HKU’s school of public health, and he led the study. Bishai said these extra deaths could have been prevented if the city had made plans to deal with the impact of high temperatures.
He noted that people’s bodies usually would experience more stress during hot weather.
“The heat makes you need to sweat, and in order to sweat, you have to generate a lot of blood flow through your body,” he said. “So for elderly people’s bodies, their heart has to pump harder.”
Heat stress is considered one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths.
Quiz time
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How many deaths in Hong Kong might have been caused by the hot weather in the last decade?
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How many heatwaves did Hong Kong witness in the last 10 years?
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Which age group was most affected by heat?
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How could Hong Kong have prevented the extra deaths caused by the sizzling temperatures?
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Why does hot weather put more stress on people’s bodies?
Suggested answers
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1,677
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18
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people aged 60 to 84
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The city could have made plans to deal with the impact of high temperatures.
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The heat makes you need to sweat, which requires you to generate a lot of blood flow through your body.
