France identified 400 more deaths than normal in the days of August, when the country experienced a heat wave, especially in the southern half, representing an increase of 5.4%, according to Gallic health services.
This excess mortality, which includes all causes, mainly affects “people over 75 years of age”, according to a report prepared by the official health agency, Santé Publique France (SPF).
The excess mortality figures do not refer to the country as a whole, but only to 52 of the 101 departments in metropolitan France, which were affected by the heat wave that occurred between August 11 and 26 last year.
These departments represent 46.3% of the population of Metropolitan France. Of this subgroup, 19 departments were on red alert due to heat, the highest alert level, located in four regions, namely Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, New Aquitaine, Occitania and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
“The impact on mortality varied from department to department, mainly depending on the duration (number of days of the heat wave) and intensity (temperature) of the event”according to the SPF.
The agency plans to present later a full assessment of the health impacts of the various heat waves and, more generally, of the exposure of the French population to extreme heat during the summer of 2023.
Source: DN
