More than 1,300 people have died as a result of a heat wave that has hit Europe since June 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, warning that extreme heat is becoming more common due to climate change.
“More than 1,300 additional deaths have been recorded since June 21 due to high temperatures in Europe. Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ and European homes, workplaces and schools are not built for these temperatures,” said WHO director Tedros Adhanom Gebrejesus on the Ix platform.
He states that, due to climate change and global warming, the once-in-a-generation heat wave phenomenon now occurs almost every year.
The director of the WHO warned that Europe is the fastest warming continent and that health systems, as well as infrastructure, are increasingly exposed to pressure due to extreme weather conditions.
“Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, warming twice as fast as the global average. Currently, 150 million people are living in extreme heat, hundreds have died, schools are closed, networks are down,” he pointed out.
He added that the World Health Organization is working with its member states and partners to address the health threats posed by extreme heat, “focusing on preparedness, prevention and stronger health system responses.”
Temperature records broken
“We especially encourage European countries to implement action plans for heat health, as part of a broader agenda for health protection against climate change,” said Gebrejesus.
The warning comes after temperature records were broken across the continent, including Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, where extremely high values were recorded for this time of year.
According to preliminary data, a record temperature of 41.7 degrees Celsius was measured in Germany, a historical maximum of 40.5 degrees was recorded in Poland, 41.1 degrees in the Czech Republic, and 40 degrees in Hungary.
The French Ministry of Health said today that since Wednesday there have been around 1,000 more deaths in the country than expected.
The announcement states that a large number of additional deaths are among people over 65 years old, and a 40 percent increase in the number of people dying at home was also recorded.
