The Balearic health ministry's epidemiology service, which is charge of monitoring the impact of heat on public health, has so far investigated 43 suspected cases of heat stroke since May. Three of these have been confirmed. They relate to two 50-year-old people and a 26-year-old man and to farm work, kitchen work and sporting activity.
The ministry explains that two of these cases were reported on July 18 and 19, which was when Mallorca was experiencing the second heat wave of the month and and was on amber heat alert. The third case was in August. All three recovered favourably. The service began to operate in May and will continue to until the end of September.
The number of confirmed cases is lower than in some recent years. The highest numbers of confirmed cases were 15 and nine in 2017 and 2019. In 2017, eleven deaths were attributed to heat stroke. In 2020 there was one fatality; there was also in 2022.
There have been numerous heat "incidents" so far this summer - thirteen yellow alerts for high temperatures and two amber alerts. In the case of the second heat wave in July, the amber alert was raised to red for the island's interior.
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I have struggled with the heat this Summer. But what is more concerning is that next year, and successive years thereafter. The heat will gradually increase each year.
Oh please MDB, this is pathetic.