Europe endured its hottest summer on record in 2022, resulting in nearly 62,000 heat-related deaths, as revealed by a study published in Nature Medicine.
The research emphasized that heat, often overlooked, is a significant but undercounted threat. Italy saw the highest toll with around 18,000 deaths, followed by Spain with just over 11,000 and Germany with about 8,000.
Shockingly, the mortality rate due to heat was 63% higher in women compared to men. Age also played a crucial role, with a significant increase in fatalities for those aged 65 and above.
The study also showed that, for Malta, 166 women per million died from heat-related causes, whereas 160 men died of similar reasons.
Previously, Eurostat attempted to estimate the heat wave’s impact through excess deaths, but this study marked the first attempt to specifically analyze heat-related fatalities. The research covered 35 European countries and over 543 million people, using this data to create epidemiological models for calculating heat-related deaths.
The 2003 heat wave, resulting in over 70,000 excess deaths, served as a wake-up call, exposing Europe’s lack of preparedness. Despite current prevention plans, they seem inadequate in the face of increasingly frequent and intense heat waves.
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