There has been a significant increase in deaths from cold temperatures in the US.
Researchers have published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which states that from 1999 to 2022, the rate of cold-related deaths in the US has increased from about 4 per million people to 9.
These are deaths in which exposure to cold was the primary cause or contributory factor.
The highest cold-related death rate was recorded among older people across different age groups.
In 2022, the rate of death from cold was 42 per million people among people aged 75 and older.
The main reason for this is the fragility of the elderly, as such people cannot tolerate cold as much because their bodies have difficulty generating heat and staying warm.
Differences in cold-related deaths were also found in some different ethnic groups in 2022. Among American Indians or Alaska Natives, the death rate was 63 per million people, compared to 15 per million people for black people.
