Tourists flood hospitals as Rome hits 104 degrees

Italian doctors are sounding the alarm: more and more tourists are being admitted to hospitals in Rome due to the heat reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The most common issues are dehydration and fainting. Many cities on the Apennine Peninsula have declared a red alert due to the high temperatures.

Giulio Maria Ricciuto, the president of the Italian Emergency Medicine Association, reported that the number of tourists admitted to hospitals in central Rome has recently increased by over 10 percent, particularly in areas with the highest concentration of visitors.

Tourists often end up needing medical attention directly from the lines at crowded museums. In the Eternal City, the Colosseum sees the most people waiting to enter. Crowds are also flocking to the Vatican Museums.

A significant challenge is the line of tourists waiting in the sun-drenched St. Peter's Square to enter the basilica.

In the coming days, during the highest alert levels with temperatures reaching 104 degrees, doctors advise avoiding direct sun exposure until late afternoon, even during the hottest part of the day. Despite this advice, thousands of tourists, mainly foreigners, continue exploring the capital of Italy and standing in lines for monuments and museums.

Many people with symptoms of dehydration are calling for emergency help. More serious cases of heart complications due to the heat are also being reported, according to health service representatives quoted by the media.

The health service in Florence also warns that local medical facilities are struggling with the side effects of so-called excessive tourism. In the capital of Tuscany, which is besieged by tens of thousands of tourists and has longstanding heat alerts, more than half of those visiting emergency services are tourists.

On Saturday, the highest red alert due to heat, announced by the Ministry of Health, applies in Rome, Florence, Brescia, Campobasso, Frosinone, Genoa, Latina, Palermo, Perugia, and Rieti.