An increase in mortality was observed after the severe heat that occurred during the start of the school year in France, according to Public Health France.
- The fourth heatwave, which took place from September 3 to 11, is said to have caused at least 60 deaths in France.
- Of the 17 departments concerned, the North, Hauts de Seine, Val de Marne and Val d’Oise did not present any excess deaths.
- No fatal work accidents were reported during this heat episode.
It was a late heat episode, which was exceptional in its intensity and duration, according to Météo France. From September 3 to 11, a fourth heatwave hit France. She “concerned 17 departments in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Brittany, Centre-Val-de-Loire, Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, i.e. 29% of the resident population in mainland France. The average duration of this heatwave per department was 4.4 days”, indicates Public Health France in its first provisional assessment published October 4.
60 additional deaths potentially attributable to the heatwave
Thanks to all-cause mortality data from civil registry offices and transmitted by INSEE, Public Health France was able to determine the number of people potentially dying due to extreme heat. According to estimates established two weeks after the end of this period, the heatwave of early September caused at least 60 additional deaths. In details, “4 departments (North, Hauts de Seine, Val de Marne and Val d’Oise) out of the 17 concerned do not show excess deaths.” Public Health France clarified that no fatal work accident was reported by the General Directorate of Labor to Public Health France during this fourth heatwave.
“Heat remains more than ever a health risk in a context of climate change”
Beyond this episode, the French have been exposed to heat and several episodes of heatwave since the start of summer. As a reminder, 400 adults died due to the heatwave, which took place from August 11 to 26 and affected 52 departments. People aged 75 and over were the most affected age group.
According to the health authority, this estimate established in September does not reflect the entire impact of heat on health. “At the end of summer, Public Health France will publish a consolidated assessment of the health impact of the various heatwaves and more generally of the exposure of the French population in France to extreme heat throughout the summer period of 2023. (…) The heat remains more than ever a risk to health in a context of climate change, including outside periods of heatwave, requiring the implementation of management and prevention measures to reduce the impact of heat on populations.”
