Medical teams to be sent to India's heat wave-affected states

NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government on Tuesday decided to immediately send medical teams to the heat wave-affected states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where nearly 100 people have died over the past few days.

While 54 people have died in Uttar Pradesh, 44 people have lost their lives due to the extremely hot weather in Bihar so far, according to local media reports. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the maximum temperature in several parts of the two states was recorded at 42.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, which was said to be 4.7 degrees above normal.

In at least 11 districts of Bihar, the temperature surged past 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Sheikhpura town of Bihar remained the hottest place recording 45.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

In Uttar Pradesh, Ballia has been one of the worst affected districts, with at least 400 people admitted to a district hospital during the last three days with complaints of fever, breathlessness and other health complications, said a media report by India Today.

At a high-level meeting in the national capital, federal Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that health experts will be deployed to the two states amidst the rising number of deaths due to heat stroke.

"A team of experts from the union health ministry, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to support them in public health response measures to address heat-related illnesses," said the federal health minister.

He also directed the ICMR officials to conduct research on how to minimize the effect of heat waves on health with specific action plans.

Besides, the IMD has been asked to issue daily weather forecasts in a manner that can be easily interpreted and disseminated.