Elidio Hernandez Gomez's tragic death underscores how extreme heat exacerbates existing health conditions, yet its role is often overlooked in death investigations, leading to severe undercounting of heat-related fatalities.
Federal records indicate that over 2,300 deaths in 2023 were attributed to heat, but many of these incidents are not accurately recorded due to the omission of heat-related factors from death certificates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has consistently pushed for greater awareness in how heat and extreme weather should be documented on death certificates, asserting that such measures could help in understanding and mitigating health risks.
Misclassified heat-related deaths can hinder our ability to assess the true impact of climate change on public health, as many affected individuals might not have heat officially noted as a contributing factor.
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