Seniors are particularly at risk when the thermometer remains stuck above 30°C.
“Heat kills.” In the heart of summer, the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe alerted to the number of deaths linked to the heat wave. Of the “unnecessary deaths” caused by summer heat and affecting most people over the age of 75. At the end of July, the Carlos III Health Institute, based in Madrid, announced that it had identified 1,047 deaths attributable to scorching temperatures in Spain.
Dehydration, hyperthermia, aggravation of pre-existing pathologies: the elderly are particularly exposed when the thermometer remains stuck above 30°C. While France is currently facing the fourth heat wave of the summer, Public Health France is concerned about the risk of high excess mortality in the face of a succession of “hot spells”. The repetition of these episodes “could be an aggravating factor” et “generate more cases and deaths”the agency warned.
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