Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Montreal Requires 24-Hour Notification of Heat-Related Deaths

Officials say the notification requirement will support critical real-time tracking under the current heat warning

Image
A paramedic loads a stretcher back into the ambulance after bringing a patient to the emergency room at a hospital in Montreal on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Hospitals across Canada are facing a resurgence of COVID-19 patients that some health officials say will continue for another month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Overview

  • Montreal’s public health department on Sunday asked ER doctors to report any death suspected to be heat-related within 24 hours to improve mortality surveillance.
  • The department also requires reporting of all heat-stroke cases presenting at ERs with forecasts of highs near 34 °C. Environment Canada’s two-day heat warning for Montreal prompted health authorities to activate expedited mortality and morbidity monitoring.
  • Officials warn that people with chronic illnesses and severe mental-health conditions remain at highest risk of fatal outcomes in extreme heat.
  • The stepped-up reporting draws on lessons from the 2018 heat wave that caused 66 deaths, a quarter of which involved patients with schizophrenia.