Hostname: page-component-f554764f5-wjqwx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-17T19:38:32.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Deadly Heat: Failures in Effective Media Engagement Cost Lives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2025

Ana Raquel Nunes Open the ORCID record for Ana Raquel Nunes [Opens in a new window]
Ana Raquel Nunes*
Affiliation:
Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
*
Corresponding author: Ana Raquel Nunes; Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The devastating effects of heatwaves and the deficiencies in current response strategies disproportionately affect specific individuals and populations,1,2 underscoring the urgent need for effective solutions. Lessons from past heat events emphasise the importance of preparedness and effective response strategies.2 Understanding the dangers of heatwaves involves recognizing not only individual health impacts but also broader environmental and societal consequences.3 Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, can be fatal but are preventable.2

Type
Commentary
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e73
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Van Daalen, KR, Tonne, C, Semenza, J, et al. The 2024 Europe report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: unprecedented warming demands unprecedented action. Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(7):E495–E522. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00055-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hess, JJ, Errett, NA, McGregor, G et al. Public health preparedness for extreme heat events. Ann Rev. 2023;44:301–321. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071421-025508Google ScholarPubMed
Nunes, AR. Misdiagnosing vulnerability to heatwaves in the media. Lancet Planet Health. 2019; 3(7):E293. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(19)30107-XCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
O’Neill, S, Hayes, S, Straub, N et al. Visual portrayals of fun in the sun in European news outlets misrepresent heatwave risks. Geogr J. 2022; 189(1):90–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12487Google Scholar
McLoughlin, N, Howarth, C, Shreedhar, G. Changing behavioral responses to heat risk in a warming world: how can communication approaches be improved? WIREs Climate Change. 2023;14(2):e819. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.819CrossRefGoogle Scholar