Brazil, a few days before Carnival, record heat and hospitalizations. "But we won't stop the party"

A few weeks before Carnival , Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a record heat wave. "In January, more than 3,000 people were treated in municipal emergency services due to the intense heat," especially for cases of burns caused by exposure to the sun or dehydration, explains Daniel Soranz , Secretary of Health of the Brazilian city. "A number almost double compared to previous years, when this figure was around 1,600-1,700," specifies the public administrator.

On Monday, Rio reached for the first time the fourth of the five heat alert levels established by the municipal authorities, in force since last June and which are based on the "felt temperature", that parameter that considers the combination of the thermal value and the relative humidity of the air. It is a "very high heat index", from 40 to 44 ° C , which should remain "at least three consecutive days". For today, a maximum of 42 is expected.

Because the party won't be stopped

“During the summer, we are usually at level 3, where it is sufficient to make recommendations about hydration or direct exposure to the sun. But at level 4 , you can recommend suspending outdoor activities or reducing the workday for people who perform an activity in full sun,” says Soranz.

The official, however, rules out the "suspension of the carnival" from February 28 to March 8 , which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to Rio. Municipal services "will still invite participants to protect themselves" during the hottest hours of the day. He recalls that the famous samba school parade takes place "at night, when it is cooler."

As for the street carnival parades, which take place during the day, "the most important ones are scheduled either early in the morning or late in the afternoon."

The current heat wave is also affecting other regions of Brazil . Latin America's largest country has been particularly affected by extreme weather events in recent years, including historic droughts and devastating floods linked, according to experts, to global warming.