In France, nearly 33,000 deaths are attributable to heat between June 1 and September 15 each year.
- Every year in France, more and more people die because of the high temperatures.
- The elderly are the most affected by this phenomenon.
- Santé Publique France is strengthening its prevention system.
As part of its surveillance missions, Public Health France has published a new report estimating the impact of heat on mortality within France.
23,000 deaths of people aged 75 and over
Over the summer periods from 2014 to 2022, nearly 33,000 deaths are attributable to the heat between June 1 and September 15 each year, including 23,000 people aged 75 and over. “Among the deaths, 28% were observed during heat waves as defined by the heat wave management plan, while they represent only 6% of the days studied. also write the authors of the study.
Furthermore, approximately two thirds of the impact of heat concern, as expected, mainly people aged 75 and over, but it should be noted that a significant proportion (ie one third) concerns younger individuals.
“The published report emphasizes that heat waves are the extreme climatic events associated with the highest human burden in mainland France. Apart from heat waves, hot temperatures, which are often perceived as not presenting any health issues, nevertheless lead to also at significant risk”, say public health experts.
Prevention device
As a result, Public Health France is strengthening its prevention system around the behaviors to adopt during periods of high heat to protect the entire population.
“Reducing the health impact of heat waves, which are increasing with climate change, requires enhanced prevention among the population, by favoring the most environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions”, concludes the investigation.