The number of deaths has increased by almost 30 percent in France and by 62 percent in the Paris region alone in the week from June 22 to 28 – the peak of the heat wave that has hit the country, the public health service announced today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
In a new bulletin, the public health service reported an "increase of 29.1 percent, corresponding to 2,025 additional deaths compared to the previous week", recalling that the latter figure is certainly "underestimated".
The estimate of the number of deaths is based solely on electronic death certificates, which represent just over half of the deaths in the country.
On the other hand, the deviation of 30 percent is more representative of the scale of the health consequences of this heat wave, which has hit France for about ten days and has proven to be extreme, with three of the days being among the hottest ever recorded in the country.
The trend is particularly noticeable in the Paris region, where last week was recorded a rise of more than 62 percent in deaths. A similar increase was also reported in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.
The public health service had already indicated a figure of 1,000 more deaths than usual, but the data only referred to the end of the week. The new estimates cover the entire week, although the hot days had started a few days earlier.
"It is very important that among these 2,025 deaths, there is a 91 percent increase in deaths at home compared to the previous week," French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist told Télévisions Télévisions 1.
The historic heat wave that hit France at the end of June has led to unbearable conditions in many homes. High temperatures are forecast again for the weekend. Yesterday, crowds and even fights broke out in stores after 200,000 fans and air conditioners were put on sale.
According to the organization "SOS Medsen", the number of cases of heatstroke and dehydration, regardless of age, has increased sixfold and fourfold respectively.
For several days, health authorities and the government have been paying special attention to the problem of deaths in homes during the heat wave. The 2003 heat wave claimed the lives of 15,000 people in France, mostly elderly people, many of whom were in specialized nursing homes, but also in their own homes.
According to the authorities, the heat wave in June is considered more intense, but its health effects are less pronounced.