The county also released a public health heatstroke mortality dashboard with data for 2023 and 2024.
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Though we're still some way off from the start of summer, the first heatstroke death of 2024 has been recorded in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Maricopa County's first heat stroke death of 2024 was reported on April 18, six days before the first heat stroke death of 2023 was reported. Maricopa County Public Health.
By this time last year, the county health department had already confirmed five heatstroke deaths and had 39 cases under investigation. There are now two heatstroke deaths and 42 cases under investigation.
Two deaths reported in 2024 were classified as “heat-related,” which is when heat was listed as a contributing factor in the cause of death. Heat-related deaths also include cases where exposure to heat was the direct cause of death.
The county New heatstroke deaths dashboard, This will allow residents to see how many people have died from heat-related causes, how many cases are under investigation, heat-related death data going forward to 2023, and even heat-related hospital visits.
“This is an important new step in tracking heat impacts on people living and visiting Maricopa County, a work we've been doing since 2006,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for MCDPH. “This information has helped us target prevention strategies to those at highest risk for heat-related illness and death, and this new approach to visualizing the data makes it easier for our partners to put it into action.”
The dashboard replaces the weekly heatstroke surveillance report previously published on the public health website, and will now allow users to interact with the data, which will be updated every Tuesday.
Maricopa County saw its highest number of heat-related deaths ever in 2023, with 645 people dying from heat-related causes, a 52% increase over 2022. Experts fear this summer could be just as bad, or even worse.
According to a report released in April, Eighty percent of those who died in 2023 were Maricopa County residents, and three-quarters were men. Data compiled for 2024 is preliminary, and demographic information is not yet available.
Check out the resources below to help protect yourself and your loved ones from the summer heat.
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Heat Beat
Here are some videos about the extreme heat in Arizona and how to stay safe during the summer in the state.
