With summer weather on the way soon, the government has decided to begin monitoring for heat-related illnesses five days earlier than last year.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(KDCA) announced on Wednesday that its heat-related illness monitoring system will be in place from Thursday until September 30.
 
The early start is in line with the so-called comprehensive countermeasures the government is taking in response to heat waves, and the system is set for its longest run ever.
 
Every summer, a nationwide network of about 500 hospital emergency rooms participates in the system to monitor for illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope and heat edema. 

When the system is in place, the KDCA and local governments cooperate with all medical institutions that operate emergency rooms and local health centers to monitor the status of patients suffering from the hot weather. 

Starting this year, the KDCA will also provide forecasts of heat-related illness risks to participating institutions on a trial basis.

This service, developed by the KDCA and the Korea Meteorological Administration, will offer four-tier risk levels for all 17 major cities and provinces nationwide.

The forecasts will be available up to three days in advance.