© Adobe Stock/Napol Countries that already have national plans to respond to extreme heat have been able to get essential services up and running faster and better protect their populations. WHO warns: Europe and Central Asia are facing new waves of extreme heat Health
After the recent record heat wave that gripped Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the deadliest days of summer may still be ahead. Temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are forecast to reach 43 degrees Celsius this week. A new heat wave is expected in France and the Benelux countries, and in a number of areas of Central Asia, thermometers are already rising above 40 degrees.
In this regard, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, held an emergency meeting with the participation of representatives of countries, as well as the European Commission and civil society organizations. He said that countries are increasingly viewing extreme heat not just as a weather phenomenon, but as a serious threat to public health.
Action plans save lives
As noted by the WHO, countries that already have national plans to respond to extreme heat were able to quickly organize the work of necessary services and better protect the population.
Thus, in Italy, a mortality monitoring system operates in 45 cities, allowing almost real-time assessment of the effects of heat. In Spain, the authorities, together with the media, are improving the system of informing the population about health risks. Austria updated its national action plan and introduced additional measures to protect workers from the heat, while in France, interdepartmental coordination helped reduce the burden on the health system. In North Macedonia, together with the Red Cross, they provide assistance to people without permanent housing.
“These examples are important because the experience can be replicated. The necessary tools exist. The evidence base is reliable. When plans are developed and tested before the onset of a crisis, they save lives,” Kluge emphasized. hot.
In many countries, people remain unaware that they are at risk. Meeting participants also highlighted the lack of refrigerated centers, especially for homeless people, the need to improve the resilience of health care facilities to the impacts of climate change, and the need to improve official notification procedures.
Of particular concern is that people living in social care facilities, homeless people and single elderly citizens do not always receive the care they need.
Extreme heat becomes a security threat
According to the head of the WHO European Bureau, one of the most important results of the meeting was the strengthening of interaction between various departments. According to Kluge, extreme heat poses a security risk that requires coordination between different sectors.
The WHO said it would summarize countries’ experiences and distribute recommendations to all 53 countries in the region. The organization will also continue to provide technical support to countries that are developing or improving national heat plans.
“The work is now on two fronts: addressing the shortcomings identified in recent weeks before another heat wave hits, and building health systems that are not just responsive to extreme heat, but prepared for it,” Kluge said.