The June heatwave has led to more than 5,700 excess deaths being recorded in France, whilst the critical situation persists.
The French National Public Health Agency has stated on Wednesday that between 17 June and 2 July, 5,764 excess deaths were recorded, accounting for 36% of the total number of deaths. Over this period, 21,674 people died, whereas under normal circumstances 15,910 deaths would have been expected over the same period.
“These impacts highlight the importance of implementing management and prevention measures to reduce the impact of heat on the population without waiting for health impacts to become apparent,” the agency said.
The agency described these figures as the highest rate of excess mortality from all causes recorded during a heatwave since 2003, although it is still lower than during the 2003 heatwave, which claimed the lives of nearly 15,000 people in France.
According to early statistics, the main victims of the extreme temperatures were elderly people aged 75 and over — they accounted for around two-thirds of the deaths, equivalent to at least 3,719 excess deaths. However, experts emphasise that this dangerous trend has also affected younger sections of the population.
An increase in the number of fatalities was recorded in the residential sector, hospices and care homes, with almost half of all deaths occurring in hospital wards. The report states that those who died between 17 June and 2 July passed away from “all causes,” none of which have yet been definitively linked to the heat.
In France, slightly fewer cases of excess deaths were recorded throughout last summer – 5,722.
At the end of June, the WHO’s European Office called for extreme heat to be recognised as a public health crisis and for healthcare systems to be strengthened. Scientists emphasise that Europe is warming faster than other continents, and that human-induced climate change is making heatwaves, droughts and storms more frequent and destructive.
