At least 15,000 people have died in Europe as a result of hot weather in 2022, with Spain and Germany among the worst-affected nations, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The three months of June-August were the hottest in Europe since records started, and the unusually high temperatures caused the continent’s worst drought since the Middle Ages.
“Based on the data given thus far, it is predicted that at least 15,000 people perished directly due to heat in 2022,” said Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, AFP reported.
Hundreds of thousands of people died as a result of excessive heat during protracted heatwaves, which were frequently accompanied by wildfires.
“During the three months of summer, health officials reported about 4,000 fatalities in Spain, more than 1,000 in Portugal, more than 3,200 in the United Kingdom, and around 4,500 in Germany,” he continued, AFP reported.
“This estimate is projected to rise as more nations report extra heat-related mortality,” it added, citing the UN climate meeting in Egypt and its calls for immediate action.
Excessive heat typically aggravates pre-existing health issues. Heatstroke and other severe types of hyperthermia (an unusually high body temperature) cause pain and death. Individuals at either end of the life span – newborns and children, and the elderly – were particularly vulnerable, as per a statement released by WHO earlier in July.
Crops in Europe’s breadbaskets wilted as an unprecedented dry season fuelled record wildfire intensity and put significant strain on the continent’s electricity system.
Heatwaves in June and July saw temperatures in the UK reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time, resulting in an estimated 24,000 more fatalities throughout Europe.
“Heat stress, or the inability of the body to cool itself, is the top cause of weather-related death in the European Region,” according to the WHO.
It further said that severe temperatures can be dangerous for persons who have chronic heart disease, breathing issues, or diabetes.
Heatwaves and other extreme weather will “lead to more illnesses and fatalities” in the next decades, according to the WHO, unless “drastic” action is taken.
(With Inputs From Agencies)