Jun 01, 2015 10:40 AM EDT
India Heat Wave Death Toll Almost at 2,000

In India, more than 1,800 people have already died due to heat stroke and dehydration, coming from heatwaves affecting Andhara Pradesh, Gurgaon, and other areas with extremely high-temperature.

The Guardian reports this global warming effect has mostly affected the elderly and the poor, such as farmers who would still work under the scorching heat of the sun and in temperatues as high as 43° Celsius, just to earn about 200 rupees or about US$3 a day.

The growing heat wave death toll depicted the economic state of most Indian citizens, which, as contrary to other countries with high temperatures like the northern part of Australia and southeast areas of the US, couldn't afford to use modern technology like air-conditioning in rural areas.

"In the south of the US people in air-conditioned tractors are farming vast areas in an industrial way, but most of the world works on smallholders producing enough food to feed themselves and enough surpluses to provide food for the local towns and cities," University College London' professor of climatology, Mark Maslin told The Guardian.

"As climate change starts to bite and these heat waves come, people in poor countries are very vulnerable because they don't have another source of income," Maslin added.

Climate change is slowly presenting its deadly cost. The World Health Organization published a research that conclude heat waves cause illnesses like skin eruptions, heat fatigue, heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. These heat problems mostly affect older people, who do not sweat or let out body heat as much as younger people do.

The study also added that the elderly are more vulnerable to suffering from severe heat stroke because of low fitness and other existing diseases they already have.

For people of all ages, BBC released pieces of health advice to avoid heat stroke and dehydration in this intense heat by staying in the shade, covering most parts of the body, and drinking lots of liquids.

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