4-Month-Old Baby Dies Due to Extreme Heat During Family Trip; Heatwave-Related Death Toll Continues To Rise

(Photo : Pixabay / Rainer_Maiores)

Tanna Rae Wroblewski, a four-month-old infant, passed away while she and her family had a trip to Lake Havasu amidst a severe heat wave.

She reportedly fell in and lost consciousness while her family was boat-riding by the lake.

4-Month-Old Dies Due to Extreme Heat

Before the Fire Department of Lake Havasu reached the scene, the family of Tanna did CPR on her. She was then brought by first responders to Havasu Regional Medical Center. Specialists tried to get her a pulse.

Tanna was then transported via airlift to Phoenix Children's Hospital. However, she ended up succumbing to her injuries.

An investigation regarding Tanna's death is still being conducted. The medical examiner has also yet to reveal the cause of death.

ALSO READ: 'Excessive Heat' Weather Warnings Issued Across 6 US States Ahead of Impending Heat Wave

Deaths Due to Extreme Heat

Since July 4, the region of Lake Havasu has informed the public that temperatures would reach record-breaking levels for the first time in almost 40 years.

The death toll due to extreme heat has also been on the rise across the US, as temperatures went up in several regions. In fact, based on various reports, at least 28 people died last week due to the searing heat wave. Such a figure is based on preliminary reports from medical examiners, news outlets, and state officials from Arizona, California, and Oregon.

This figure could go up as authorities examine the heat wave's death toll.

The heat wave has brought record-breaking temperatures across scorching East Coast cities as well as the West. In fact, as of Wednesday, over 135 individuals throughout the Lower 48 were under heat-related alerts.

The majority of deaths were seen in California, which is where records were broken on a daily basis last week in several major cities. Michelle Jorden, the Chief Medical Examiner of Santa Clara County, noted that they are looking into 14 death cases of possible heat-related causes.

Jorden noted that among these individuals, eight were more than 65 years old. Most of them were also just found in their homes, while two cases involved homeless individuals.

However, Jorden stresses that such cases remain under investigation. It may take weeks or days to finish a definitive death toll.

Public health experts think that official death dolls could be an undercount of the actual scenario.

Since the start of the month, the US has seen hundreds of heat records, with several in the West. Temperatures have soared to the point where some rescue helicopters could not fly, as air ended up too thin for chopper blades to hold on to.

Heat is considered the top weather-driven cause of death across the US. It has killed more people compared to a combined figure of deaths due to tornadoes, hurricanes, and wildfires.

However, until now, clinicians, medical examiners, and researchers still struggle with forming a death count. Heat-related deaths are typically not clear and are often missed.

Based on federal data, heat-related deaths in the US have increased in the past years. In 2023, the figures reached over 2,300, which is a sharp spike from around 1,700 in 2022.