Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025
03:53
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
1.1K
Compound mortality impacts from extreme temperatures and the COVID-19 pandemic
Y T Eunice Lo1,2, Dann M Mitchell3,4, Antonio Gasparrini5
1Cabot Institute for the Environment, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. eunice.lo@bristol.ac.uk.
Nature Communications
|May 23, 2024
Summary
Extreme weather events and pandemics like COVID-19 pose significant health risks. This study found that temperature-related deaths in England and Wales during 2020-2022 were higher than COVID-19 deaths, highlighting the need for preparedness.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Extreme weather events and pandemics are major global health threats.
- The combined health impacts of these concurrent events remain underquantified.
- The COVID-19 pandemic and extreme temperatures represent significant public health challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the mortality burden of extreme heat and cold events in England and Wales between 2020-2022.
- To compare temperature-related mortality with COVID-19 mortality during the pandemic's peak.
- To assess the compound health consequences of extreme weather and pandemics.
Main Methods:
- Estimation of temperature-attributable mortality for England and Wales (2020-2022).
- Comparison of excess deaths from extreme temperatures versus COVID-19.
- Analysis of mortality data during periods of heatwaves and cold snaps.
Main Results:
- Temperature-related mortality exceeded COVID-19 mortality by 8% in South West England.
- Combined extreme temperatures and COVID-19 caused 19-24 excess deaths per 100,000 during heatwaves.
- Combined extreme temperatures and COVID-19 caused 80-127 excess deaths per 100,000 during cold snaps, double the previous decade's rates.
Conclusions:
- Extreme weather events significantly contribute to mortality, especially when coinciding with pandemics.
- Preparedness for compound health crises involving extreme weather and pandemics is crucial.
- The study underscores the escalating health burden from weather hazards and pandemics.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Factors Affecting Body Temperature
4.1K
As a nurse, it is vital to understand the factors affecting body temperature to monitor variations and effectively evaluate deviations from regular.
Factors may include:
Factors may include:
4.1K
01:29Decreased Body Temperature
612
A decreased body temperature can occur in patients with hypothermia and frostbite. Heat loss with extended cold exposure overpowers the body's ability to create heat, resulting in hypothermia. Core temperature readings help classify hypothermia. Mild hypothermia is temperatures between 32 °C (89.6 °F) and 35°C (95 °F) and is caused by impaired thermoregulation. Moderate hypothermia is temperatures between 28 C (82.4 °F) and 32 °C (89.6 °F) caused by...
612
01:50Global Climate Change
24.3K
Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.
24.3K
01:19Homeostatic Imbalances in Body Temperature
121
Hyperthermia occurs when the body's temperature becomes unusually high, often due to heat exposure, intense physical activity, or certain illnesses. This condition can create a dangerous cycle where elevated body temperature increases the metabolic rate, generating more heat and potentially leading to organ failure and brain damage. A severe form of hyperthermia, called heat stroke, can raise body temperature to life-threatening levels. Fever, on the other hand, is a controlled form of...
121
01:25Increased Body Temperature
663
A body temperature above 38°C (100.4 °F) is known as fever or pyrexia, and a person with fever is termed 'febrile.' Typically, the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that acts as the body's thermostat, regulates body temperature through a thermoregulatory setpoint. It receives signals from cold and warm thermal receptors throughout the body and adjusts the body's temperature accordingly. Fever occurs when this hypothalamic setpoint is altered, usually in...
663
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
13.4K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
13.4K