The extreme wave of abnormal heat that has swept the European continent in recent weeks has led to an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. According to the latest data from the European Mortality Monitoring Center, at least 10,000 people have lost their lives directly or indirectly due to the unusually high temperatures.
The statistics reveal an extremely worrying trend about the vulnerability of the aging population of the Old Continent. More than 9,000 of the registered deaths are among people over 65. Doctors and climatologists emphasize that prolonged heat stress poses a serious risk to people with chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Which countries are the hardest hit?
According to international news agencies and reports from health authorities, the wave of extreme weather has caused the most damage in Western and Central Europe:
- Germany: The country is among the hardest hit by the heatwave, with the Robert Koch Institute already reporting over 5,120 heat-related deaths.
- France and Belgium: French health authorities reported a critical jump in mortality of nearly 29% in the hottest weeks, while in Belgium the increase reached nearly 39% compared to usual levels for the season.
- Southern Europe: Spain and Italy are also recording thousands of additional deaths, with hospitals and emergency rooms in major cities working at capacity.
The appeal of the World Health Organization (WHO)
The Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that climate change is turning heat waves into an “invisible pandemic”. "Every summer in which we fail to build adequate early warning and urban environment protection systems is a summer for which we pay with human lives," the organization points out.
In addition to the immediate risk of heatstroke and dehydration, the abnormal temperatures, reaching 42-43 degrees in places, cause widespread sleep problems, chronic fatigue and power grid failures in a number of countries.
Health experts advise citizens - especially in risk groups over 65 - to avoid going outdoors during peak hours between 11:00 and 17:00, to consume plenty of water and to maintain constant contact with their elderly relatives and neighbors.