New Delhi: The impact of the extreme heat that hit Europe at the end of June is now clearly visible in the death toll. Let us tell you, between June 22 and 28, about 10,650 additional deaths were recorded in 27 European countries. Experts believe that it is not normal to have such a large number of additional deaths at this time of the year and the biggest reason behind this could be the record level heatwave.
The number of elderly people is highest in statistics
According to the analysis, more than 9,000 of these additional deaths were people 65 years of age or older. Doctors say that the body of the elderly is relatively weak in tolerating extreme heat. At the same time, if they already have heart, lung or respiratory diseases, then the risk of heatstroke increases manifold.
Experts said that the data studied includes excess deaths from all causes. However, no major factor emerged during that period, which could explain the sudden increase in deaths. For this reason, scientists are considering the scorching heat as the main reason for this increase.
Temperature records broken in many countries
In the last week of June, temperatures set new records in many countries of Europe including France, Spain and Britain. With this, power supply was affected in many areas, schools had to be closed and the administration issued advice to people to stay indoors. During this period, the number of deaths also appeared to be increasing rapidly.
Highest number of deaths recorded in Belgium
According to experts, for eight consecutive weeks before the heatwave, these 27 countries were recording an average of about 500 deaths less than normal every week. But in the last week of June the situation suddenly changed and a sharp jump in additional deaths was seen. He says that minor changes in these numbers are possible after the detailed data comes further.
According to the report, the highest number of excess deaths were recorded in France and Belgium. The Belgian Public Health Institute said that for the first time such a large number of excess deaths have been recorded during a heatwave since 2000.
What did the scientists say?
At the same time, according to the estimates of another scientific study, during the heatwave of May and June, about 2,700 people died due to heat-related reasons in England and Wales alone. The role of excess heat due to global warming is believed to be behind about 42 percent of these deaths. Scientists say that due to climate change, heatwaves are now becoming more frequent and more intense than before, increasing the risk to the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.
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