Interior ministry warns heat stroke cases at home double during extreme waves

The interior ministry said Saturday that heat stroke cases occurring inside homes double during periods of extreme heat, urging residents to actively utilize cooling shelters as temperatures soar. Minister Yoon Ho-joong highlighted that while most domestic incidents happen outdoors, the share of patients falling ill at home jumps significantly when daily maximum temperatures reach 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

Data from the National Disaster and Safety Research Institute covering 2011 through 2025 shows the proportion of heat stroke victims at home rising from 6 percent on normal days to 12 percent during extreme heat events. The ministry pointed to recent tragedies in Europe and Japan where fatalities were heavily concentrated among vulnerable people isolated in residences without adequate air conditioning.

In France, home deaths surged 91 percent during the peak week of this summer's record-breaking heat wave, prompting a shift toward check-in services for elderly residents living alone. Similarly, Japan reported that 40.9 percent of its heat illness emergencies occurred at home, with investigations revealing that nearly three-quarters of heat-related deaths in Tokyo involved individuals who did not have or use air conditioners.

"Although the proportion of heat stroke cases in residential areas is not high compared to overseas, the trend of patients increasing inside homes grows as heat waves intensifies," Yoon said. He advised the public to maintain appropriate indoor temperatures day and night and to verify the locations and operating hours of nearby cooling shelters in advance.

To support these efforts, the ministry has doubled its 2026 heat wave countermeasure budget to 30 billion won from the previous year's 15 billion won, directing funds toward repairing and reinforcing cooling shelters and heat reduction facilities across the country. Ahead of the season, officials inspected approximately 93,000 cooling shelters nationwide and addressed more than 1,700 deficiencies.

The disease control agency is simultaneously operating an emergency room surveillance system involving about 500 medical institutions from mid-May through the end of September to monitor patient trends in real time.