ATLANTA — Georgia health officials are reminding parents not to leave their children alone inside hot cars.

The state Department of Public Health says three Georgia children were among at least 33 children under the age of 4 nationwide who died last year from heatstroke after being left in cars. The department is joining Safe Kids Georgia and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind parents and caregivers about the danger of heatstroke in young children in hopes of preventing such deaths.

Dr. Seema Csukas with the department’s Maternal and Child Health Program says a child’s body temperature can rise up to five times faster than that of an adult, and heatstroke can occur at temperatures as low as 57 degrees.