Summer 2023 heatwave: 5,000 deaths due to heat, alarming figures from the latest Public Health France report

Eté 2023 : plus de 5 000 décès attribuables à la chaleur

Selon les données de Santé publique France, 1 500 décès survenus lors des quatre épisodes de canicules de l’été sont attribuables à la chaleur. Au total, du 1er juin au 15 septembre, plus de 5 000 décès seraient liés aux températures élevées.

The summer of 2023 was marked by four heatwave episodes. These episodes caused the deaths of more than 1,500 people according to data from Public Health France, published this Thursday, February 8.

And over the entire monitoring period, from June 1 to September 15, "the number of deaths from all causes attributable to heat s& rsquo; amounts to more than 5,000 deaths, representing more than 3% of observed all-cause mortality, notes the national public health agency. The elderly are the most vulnerable: 75% of deaths concern people aged 75 and over.

In addition, the General Directorate of Labor reported 11 fatal accidents "possibly linked to heat",throughout the summer, even outside of heat waves. The victims are mainly men aged 19 to 70; half of them worked in the construction sector.

20,000 calls for emergency care due to heat

People aged 75 and over represent more than half of emergency room visits for iHeatwave, this indicator which includes hyperthermia, heat stroke, dehydration and hyponatraemia (a serious complication of heat stroke characterized by the decrease in the concentration of sodium salt in the blood).

In total, 10,600 hospitalizations were recorded for the iHeatwave indicator and 20,000 for heat were recorded. "During heatwave episodes, the number of visits to the emergency room for the iCanicule indicator was multiplied by 2.1 and that for SOS doctor consultations multiplied by 3 compared to periods excluding summer heatwave episodes. ;quot;, further specifies Public Health France.

A reinforced system in 2024

For Dr. Caroline Semaine, Director General of Public Health France, "this report highlights, once again this year, a significant impact of heat in terms of morbidity and mortality, during and outside heatwave episodes, which concerns all age groups. These data support the need for a reinforced climate change adaptation strategy, at the national and territorial level, in order to anticipate the intensification of exposure to these meteorological phenomena".

And while France will host the Olympic Games this summer, it ensures that surveillance "in connection with the extreme heat will be the subject of ;special attention".

Note that in 2024, the system put in place by Public Health France will be strengthened. Posters, leaflets, TV and radio spots, digital animations… this plan aims to anchor good practices in the population to protect themselves from the heat, during heatwaves but also outside heatwaves.