In the face of the continuous extreme heatwaves in many parts of China this summer, the Chinese authorities have almost not disclosed the number of deaths from heatstroke, and the occasionally reported information also raises suspicions of underreporting.
On Thursday, August 8th, mainland Chinese media finally reported a death toll from the extreme heat. However, the officially announced death toll is so small that it is hard to believe.
On Wednesday, the emergency center in the southern city of Shenzhen announced on Weibo that during the past week (August 1st to 6th), the center responded to 88 emergency calls for heatstroke patients, with two men experiencing loss of consciousness and unresponsiveness after heatstroke, and sadly, they could not be saved. The two men were aged 62 and 56.
This may be the earliest reported case of death due to heatstroke in China since the country faced an unusual heatwave this year.
According to Reuters, the Chinese authorities have not released any data on heat-related deaths, and some local media occasionally report small numbers of heatstroke deaths based on information from local governments.
In 2022, China suffered from the most severe heatwave since 1961, lasting for 79 days from June 13th to August 30th. However, no official death toll was publicly announced.
A report published in the medical journal “The Lancet” in 2023 estimated that the number of heatwave-related deaths in China in 2022 could be as high as 59,000, doubling from the previous year.
In comparison, the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management stated that only 554 people died or went missing due to “natural disasters” that year. The officially disclosed death toll by the Chinese authorities is only 1/100 of the international professional assessment figure.
After experiencing the hottest July in modern history, China is now facing another wave of extreme heat, particularly in the eastern and southern regions.
The China Meteorological Administration continued to issue orange heat warnings on Thursday, with temperatures exceeding 37 degrees Celsius in many areas such as Shanghai, Fujian, Guangxi, and northern parts of Guangdong. Some areas in Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and others could even reach above 40 degrees Celsius.
Comparing the related reports on heatstroke deaths in other countries, it is clear that the data provided by the Chinese authorities is highly questionable.
According to statistics from the Japan Meteorological Agency, July of this year was the hottest in 126 years in Japan, leading to a record high number of heatstroke deaths. In just the 23 wards of Tokyo, there were 123 reported deaths due to heatstroke or suspected heatstroke, with 90% of them being over 60 years old.
On August 8th, the South Korean Ministry of Administration and Safety reported that there were 86 new cases of heatstroke patients within the country on the 6th. Since May 20th, South Korea has had a total of 1,907 heatstroke patients, with 18 fatalities.
The Department of Health and Welfare in Taiwan stated that the mortality rate from heatstroke is more than 30%, which means over 3 out of 10 individuals suffering from heatstroke may succumb to it.
Considering China’s large population, the so-called heatstroke death toll officially announced by the Chinese authorities appears significantly understated and raises doubts.