France: at least 80 excess deaths during July heat wave

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: ALINE MORCILLO / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 15:39 pm, August 02, 2023

There have been at least 80 more deaths than normal during the few days of heat wave that hit the France in early July, according to estimates from the public health agency published Wednesday, the first toll that remains to be consolidated. "At least 80 excess deaths from all causes - 3.8% - were estimated during this heat wave in the departments concerned," Public Health France said in a statement.

A phenomenon amplified by global warming

A phenomenon whose frequency is amplified by global warming, a heat wave is defined as a prolonged period of heat without interruption for several days. One of them hit about twenty French departments between July 7 and 13, one of many global events of a month evaluated as the hottest in the history of the planet. These departments, which account for a fifth of the metropolitan population, are located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Corsica, Grand-Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions.

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Public Health France estimates are still preliminary in several respects. They are based, for example, on mortality data that are not yet complete. Above all, they do not accurately assess deaths directly due to heat waves. For the time being, they only indicate the extent to which all deaths have exceeded normal during this period. The agency plans to give at the end of the summer an assessment of excess mortality over the entire season, as well as a first estimate of deaths solely attributable to heat. In addition, and more specifically, Public Health France reported, during the heat wave in July, two deaths that could be considered as heat-related work accidents.