FLASH
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Heat waves are "a health emergency, not just a climate emergency," warns the World Health Organization's Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health. The appeal comes in a letter to member governments.
According to experts, Europe is experiencing increasingly frequent, intense and deadly heat waves. Over the past twenty years, heat-related mortality has increased by 30%, with over 100,000 deaths. And the outlook is not encouraging: the number of deaths is expected to increase in the coming years if measures are not taken against climate change.
"High temperatures are fueling the spread of diseases that were once rare in the region ," the Commission said.
The data is alarming. Locally transmitted fever cases in the European Union increased by 368% between 2022 and 2024.
Diseases such as West Nile, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, Bluetongue and the return of malaria, as reported in an article in L'Espresso, are the new health threats caused by this 'crazy' climate.
The effects are also being felt in hospital settings. According to the WHO, emergency rooms record an increase in hospital admissions during heat waves, particularly for heart, lung and kidney diseases.
But not only that. Sleep worsens, anxiety increases, and cognitive function declines. People who are psychologically sensitive and are even more vulnerable.
Furthermore, extreme heat does not discriminate and also affects those working on the front lines caring for patients.
Healthcare workers are at risk of heat stroke and fatigue, while the systems they rely on, from cooling to information technology, are increasingly exposed to the risk of failure and malfunction.
At the end of the appeal, the Commission says that this situation is systematic and growing.
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