Idaho reports three heat-related deaths amid hot, smoky weather

Three Idahoans over the age of 55 died from heat-related complications in the past week, state health officials announced Thursday. 

The cluster of deaths — the first heat-related deaths reported in Idaho this year —  came as temperatures in the state were often above 90 degrees. Wildfires have also pushed most Idaho counties into air quality advisories recently, with some reaching thresholds classified as unhealthy. 

The three Idahoans who had heat-related deaths all lived in different communities in southern Idaho, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced in a news release. Officials did not clarify which specific areas of the vast region that the people who died lived in.

As temperatures rise, state health officials urge people to be aware of heat-related illness symptoms and treatments. Last year, 180 people died of heat-related illness in the U.S., the National Weather Service reports. 

The signs of heat-related illness

Signs of a heatstroke — the most serious heat-related illness and a medical emergency — include high body temperature, hot and skin, confusion or seizures, nausea, dizziness and fainting, the state health department says. 

People experiencing these symptoms who cannot get medical care should call 911 immediately and move to a cooler place and use wet cloths or ice to lower body temperature, including applying them to the head, neck, armpits and groin or giving them a cool bath or soaking their clothes with cool water. People having a heat stroke should not drink, as they may accidentally inhale the fluid rather than swallowing it. 

Heat exhaustion may occur before a heatstroke, with symptoms like tiredness, weakness, irritability, thirst, headache, nausea, muscle cramps and cold, clammy skin. People with heat exhaustion symptoms should move to a cooler place, loosen clothes, use cool clothes or a cold bath and sip cool water frequently. If they vomit or symptoms worsen or last longer than an hour, seek medical help.

How to prevent heat-related illness

Staying cool and hydrated is key. Here’s how:

• Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing.
• Limit outdoor activity to the coolest hours — in the morning and evening.
• Drink at least one cup of water for every 15-20 minutes of moderate activity lasting less than two hours. Drink before you are thirsty. 
• Avoid alcohol and drinks with high caffeine or sugar.
• Drink a low-sugar sports drink to replace salt and minerals, which you lose through sweating. If you are on a low-salt diet, have diabetes, high blood pressure or other chronic conditions, talk to your doctor first.
• Check weather reports on local news, weather.gov or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s extreme heat tracker, HeatRisk.
• Read more heat health advice from the CDC.