Temperatures up to 46 degrees C: WHO warns Europe of hot heat

South Europe is experiencing a scorching heat wave, with temperatures reaching up to 46 degrees Celsius in the Huelva region of Spain, a new national record for June. Meanwhile, Italy, Greece, Portugal and the Western Balkans are also facing scorching temperatures, massive fires and victims among civilians.

A World Health Organisation expert (OBSH) issued a sharp warning Monday, demanding more action to prevent tens of thousands of unnecessary and largely preventable “deaths.

“is no longer a matter of whether we will have a heat wave, but how long we will have this year and how long it will last,” said Marisol Yglesias Gonzalez, technicalal for climate change and health near O BESH in Bonn.

As for the number of people who may be in danger, Pierre Masselot, statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Yeah. LITICO that this heat wave could cause more than 4,500 deaths between June 30th and July 3rd. Countries expected to experience the highest rates of excessive deaths are Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Luxembourg, he added. The hardest <x004s will be Tuesday and Wednesday. ”

The heat takes more than 175,000 lives each year in the European region of O BSH from Iceland to Russia. An important study, co-authorised by Masselot and published in January, which analysed 854 European cities, warned that heat deaths would rise significantly if climate adaptation is not given priority.

O The BSH reiterated Monday that climate changes, driven by fuel burning, will lead to more heat waves, more frequent, more dangerous and more intense, bringing more serious diseases and death.

Almost two thirds of Spanish cities are included in health risks warnings, including 804 areas at the highest alert level, according to data from the national weather agency Aemet. A spokesman announced that the intense heat will last throughout the country until 3 July. Meanwhile, warnings of heat have also been announced in France, Italy, Portugal, and Greece.

The Greek government has also issued warnings of air pollution caused by fires involving coastal cities near Athens. Meanwhile, over 50,000 people have been evacuated to Turkey, mainly because of a fire near Izmir.

In Albania, 26 fires between Sunday and Monday have been reported, while in Serbia, meteorologists reported that last Thursday was the hottest day since they started measuring since the 19th century.

O BSH has recommended maintaining the hydrated body, avoiding heat during noon, and maintaining cool domestic environments, especially for sensitive groups, including elderly, children, open - air employees, pregnant women and those with chronic health problems. Those who use drugs as antidepressants or medications for tension must be especially careful, Yglesias Gonzalez added, as these may affect the body's ability to regulate the temperature.

However, it is not enough just to manage heat waves when they occur, but to be more prepared, O said BSH. In a 2022 poll, only 21 of the 57 countries in the European region of O The BSH had reported having a national health plan during heat waves. Of these, only 14 were part of the EU.

Of WHO's key recommendations, the most implemented are timely warning systems and information campaigns. But states are lagging behind in preparing the health system and in preventing exposure to heat through better urban planning, Yglesias Gonzalez said.

O The BSH will publish new up-to-date guidelines for governments next year, including advice on the “frequency strategies focused on people” on urban and regional levels to protect the population from heat, she added. /Periscope/