Philippine Health Department Warns of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke Risks Amid Strengthening El Niño
Key Takeaways
- •The Philippine Department of Health cautioned residents about heat exhaustion and heat stroke as El Niño drives prolonged warmer conditions and below-normal rainfall across the country.
- •Heat stroke symptoms include fainting, excessive body heat, breathing difficulty, confusion, slurred speech, and convulsions, and the DoH advised calling hotline 911 or going to the nearest health facility if such symptoms persist.
- •Recommended precautions include wearing light-colored lightweight clothing, drinking as many as 10 glasses of water daily, and limiting strenuous activities during peak sun hours.
- •El Niño is forecast to reach a very strong state by the end of 2026 and last through the first quarter of 2027, with Climate Impact Lab projecting 6,500 additional heat-related deaths in the Philippines between September 2026 and February 2027.
- •The DoH said it will soon publish updated data providing an official count of recent heat-related illness cases.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DoH) warned on Monday that Filipinos should watch out for heat exhaustion and heat stroke as the country faces prolonged warmer conditions and below-normal rainfall driven by El Niño.
In a Facebook post, the department said symptoms of heat exhaustion include weakness and extreme fatigue, feeling faint, heat cramps, vomiting, and excessive sweating. Symptoms of heat stroke, a more severe condition in which the body can no longer regulate its temperature, include fainting, excessive body heat, difficulty breathing, confusion and slurred speech, and convulsions.
The DoH urged the public to call the National Emergency Hotline 911 or proceed to the nearest health facility if symptoms of heat stroke persist.
To reduce the risk of heat-related illness, the department advised wearing light-colored lightweight clothing, staying hydrated by drinking up to 10 glasses of water per day, and limiting strenuous activities during peak sun hours.
El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, is characterized by unusual sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and can bring below-normal rainfall and drier conditions to the Philippines. The phenomenon is already present in the tropical Pacific and is likely to intensify into a very strong state by the end 2026, persisting through the first quarter of 2027 — a timeline that gives the public and authorities a defined window for the heightened heat risk the DoH is flagging.
According to Climate Impact Lab, a global research consortium, El Niño could cause 6,500 additional heat-related deaths in the Philippines from September 2026 to February 2027 — a span that covers the months in which the phenomenon is forecast to reach and hold its very strong state.
The DoH told BusinessWorld that it will be releasing its latest data on heat-related illnesses soon, a release that will provide an official count of recent cases.
— Edg Adrian A. Eva, BusinessWorld (Source)
