The unusually strong early summer heat wave in Europe led to more than 1,300 additional deaths, wrote the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.
“Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ – and European homes, workplaces and schools are not designed for these temperatures,” wrote the Director General.
THE BBC report since June 21, record high temperatures have been broken in several countries, 41.7 in Germany, 41.1 in the Czech Republic, and 40.5 in Poland. In France, about a thousand more deaths than expected were registered in recent days, mostly among people over 65.
The head of the WHO has warned that Europe is particularly at risk as the continent is one of the fastest warming regions in the world, with temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average. According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the once rare heat waves are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Because of the extreme weather strict measures have been introduced in several countries. In the Netherlands, a major music festival was canceled due to extreme heat, and in Paris, outdoor events were canceled to protect overstretched emergency services and alcohol consumption in public was restricted. According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, at least 74 people have drowned in the country since the start of the heat wave, mostly in unattended rivers and lakes.
The so-called for the development of the record heat heat dome phenomenon are blamed, during which the sinking, dry air gets stuck over an area and further increases the warming.
Health Minister Zsolt Hegedűs asked Hungarians to go to the emergency department in the evening only in justified cases. Many people do not go to the hospital in the heat, but there are fewer workers at this time than during the day, so “the treatment of less urgent complaints may involve a longer waiting time”.
