Europe may face ‘more deadly weeks’ as new heatwave builds, warns WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on July 7 that Europe could face “more deadly weeks” ahead, with another intense heatwave forming over the Atlantic.

Temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are expected to climb to 43 deg C in the coming days.

WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge held an emergency call on July 6 with representatives from 41 countries in the region, the European Commission and civil society groups to discuss lessons from the recent heatwave and preparations for the next one.

Kluge said in a statement that countries with heat-health action plans in place responded more quickly and better protected their populations during the June heatwave.

But he said that fewer than half of WHO’s European member states had such a plan in place.

Experts have said the June 20 to 28 heatwave was the most severe recorded in Europe, causing disruption to power generation, damaging infrastructure and overwhelming healthcare systems.

The extreme heat was almost certainly driven by climate change, scientists said.

France, the Netherlands and Belgium recorded 3,700 excess deaths, with authorities warning that the numbers are preliminary and could rise.

Temperatures hit 40 deg C in parts of Europe during the heatwave.

Kluge said care home residents, homeless people and socially isolated older adults were still not being reached consistently across Europe.

“The work now is on two fronts: fixing what failed in recent weeks before the next heatwave hits and building the kind of health systems that don’t just respond to extreme heat but are ready for it,” Kluge said. REUTERS