such as "Introduction", "Conclusion"..etc In general, over the
past 35 years, the U.S. populace has become systematically less
affected by hot and humid weather conditions. All-causes
mortality during heat stress events has declined despite
increasingly stressful weather conditions in many urban and
suburban areas. This relative "desensitization" of the U.S.
metropolitan populace to weather-related heat stress can be
attributed to a variety of factors, including improved medical
care, infiltration of air conditioning, better public awareness
programs relating the potential dangers of heat stress, and both
human biophysical and infrastructural adaptations. Thus, heat-
related mortality in the United States seems to be largely
preventable at present (McGeehin and Mirabelli 2001; Semenza et
al. 1996). Public health officials and primary care physicians
should warn their patients of the dangers associated with high
heat and humidity. This is particularly true for the most
susceptible groups, which include the elde