(ORDO NEWS) –A Canadian woman in her 70s could be the first patient in the world to be diagnosed with climate change as doctors attribute her health to the heatwaves earlier this year.
Dr. Kyle Merritt of Kootenay Lake Hospital, who made such an unusual diagnosis, spoke about the deterioration of the patient’s condition, who has several health problems at once. According to doctors, the woman suffered from the ongoing climatic changes.
“Her health has deteriorated. She really struggled to cool herself. We had to figure out how to chill someone in the emergency room. People ran to the store to buy spray cans, ”the head of the emergency department told local media.
Record heat waves in Canada and parts of the United States have killed more than a hundred people. The heat wave has killed 233 people in British Columbia. According to meteorologists, the state of emergency was caused by a “high pressure dome” over the northwest, exacerbated by climate change.
Climate change is likely to contribute, given the duration of the heatwave, extreme temperatures and the fact that it sets new temperature highs a month earlier than the typical warm season. Extremely high temperatures or humid conditions created an increased risk of heatstroke or even heat exhaustion.
Medics have been forced to look for ways to weather the growing pressure on hospitals in the region as more and more patients arrive with heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.
However, heat waves were not the only cause of death. Forest fires are raging in the region, which pollute the air, filling it with harmful substances.
“If we do not look at the root cause, then we will simply treat the symptoms. We won’t have time to solve the problem, ”said Dr. Merritt. “I’m just trying to process what I see. We take care of everyone, from the most privileged to the most vulnerable. And it’s hard to watch people suffer, especially the most vulnerable in society. It’s frustrating.
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