Hong Kong’s past heatwaves potentially contributed to 1,677 excess deaths: university study

University of Hong Kong researchers share projection from yet-to-be-published study, urge authorities to develop action plan for heatwaves

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Hong Kong needs an action plan to prevent deaths from heat stress, experts have said. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 8:30am, 5 Aug 2024Updated: 9:25am, 5 Aug 2024

Heatwaves in Hong Kong over the last 10 years may have contributed to more than 1,600 deaths, according to a projection from university researchers, who have urged authorities to create an extreme weather action plan to reduce health risks.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong estimated that the 18 heatwaves recorded by the city between 2014 and 2023 had each produced about 93 “excess deaths”, resulting in 1,677 extra fatalities over that period.

Professor David Bishai, director of HKU’s school of public health, who led the yet-to-be-published study, said such deaths could have been prevented if the city had put plans in place to mitigate the impact of high temperatures.

“You can actually save lives if you do better heat health action planning. These are preventable deaths,” he said.

The researchers calculated the number of excess deaths using a methodology model from a past study that looked at possible links between fatalities and different temperatures, with the team finding about 93 extra deaths had occurred during each heatwave.

The latest study defines a heatwave as a period of time where the daily mean temperature reaches 30.6 degrees Celsius (87.1 Fahrenheit) or higher. The team would then check for any excess deaths over the subsequent 20-day period.