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Kansas City Health Department investigates suspected heat-related death of a child Friday

The Kansas City Health Department opened an investigation into a suspected heat-related death of a male child on Friday, .

The health department said in a tweet that it was informed of the boy’s death by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The child was born in 2010. No other information was immediately available, according to the health department.

This is the second heat-related death investigation the health department has opened this week. On Wednesday, the medical examiner’s office informed the health department of a heat-related death for a male born in 1980.

Earlier this week, the National Weather Service in Kansas City issued an excessive heat wave warning for the Kansas City metro area and the surrounding counties. Heat index values were expected to climb to 105 degrees Friday afternoon, the weather service said.

Excessive heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S., claiming an average of 138 lives per year in the U.S. from 1990 through 2019, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service urged people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left in unattended vehicles under any circumstances.