WHO urges Europe: Extreme heat should be treated as a health crisis, not a normal situation

The heatwave that has left 1,300 victims across Europe has highlighted the urgent need for health systems better prepared to cope with extreme temperatures.

In some parts of the old continent, the thermometer climbed to 40 degrees Celsius, while emergency services faced a high number of calls. At the same time, hospitals are treating an increasing number of patients with heat-related problems, while the most exposed remain the elderly and people suffering from chronic illnesses.

The World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, stressed that this is not a normal situation. “Treat extreme heat as a health crisis and act before temperatures reach their peak,” he wrote on the X platform.

“Preparedness for heatwaves must be concrete: freeing up hospital beds, protecting high-risk patients, ensuring cooling systems, checking backup energy sources, and supporting health staff,” the senior WHO official added. According to him, scorching temperatures have already put major pressure on health systems in several European countries.

In France, emergency departments said heat-related cases, including heatstroke and dehydration, have risen fourfold.

In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, the London Ambulance Service announced that this heatwave contributed to the busiest day in its history, with nearly 9,000 emergency calls handled in just one day.