WASHINGTON: The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that an estimated 15 000 people died specifically due to the heat across European region in the year 2022.
In a report published online, the WHO said heat stress, when the body cannot cool itself, is the leading cause of weather-related death in the European Region. Temperature extremes can also exacerbate chronic conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes-related conditions.
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The WHO said that based on country data submitted so far, it is estimated that at least 15 000 people died specifically due to the heat in 2022. Among those, nearly 4000 deaths in Spain, more than 1000 in Portugal, more than 3200 in the United Kingdom, and around 4500 deaths in Germany were reported by health authorities during the 3 months of summer.
The WHO report expressed apprehensions that this estimate was expected to increase as more countries report on excess deaths due to heat. For example, France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) reported that more than 11 000 more people died between 1 June and 22 August 2022 compared with the same period in 2019 – the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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INSEE suggested that these figures were “likely to be explained by the heatwave that occurred in mid-July, after an initial heatwave episode as early as mid-June”.
