By Ewin Hannan

The Australian

April 06, 2009 04:04pm

JANUARY'S extraordinary heatwave killed 374 Victorians, more than double
the number of deaths in the Black Saturday bushfires.

The alarming findings have just been made public by Victoria’s Chief
Health Officer Dr John Carnie, who investigated the health effects of
the extreme heatwave that ran from 26 January to 1 February, The
Australian reports.

Dr Carnie found the heatwave particularly affected the elderly,
especially those with existing health conditions.

He found that compared to the average of the past five years, 248 more
people aged 75 and older died during the heatwave.

He found that 46 more people aged 65 to 74 and 67 more people under 64
died during the period.
A further 13 people died during the heatwave whose age could not be
determined.

Senior Victorians Minister Lisa Neville today announced so-called
heatwave strategies to assist the elderly.

“While Dr Carnie has stated he cannot determine that all of the deaths
were caused by the heatwave, the Government believes it is necessary to
take appropriate action to care for the most vulnerable in any future
heatwave,” Ms Neville said

“This new funding from the Brumby Government will help councils plan for
heatwaves by taking key steps such as: providing a cool place of
respite; contacting seniors during extreme weather events; and
activating public information measures such as radio announcements.”

Every local council will be provided with a toolkit which will include
guidance about how to develop a heatwave response.

The death toll from the Black Saturday bushfires was recently revised
downwards to 173.

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