The death toll is already in the hundreds, and probably thousands. The first official figures began to emerge on June 28 regarding the effects of the exceptional heatwave that is ending in France, even if they appear lower than in 2003 to health authorities. Since Wednesday, " approximately 1,000 additional deaths "were observed compared to normal levels, Public Health France announced in an initial assessment.
This is an initial assessment, still very partial, but it gives an idea of the serious consequences of a heatwave that is now ending in the country after about ten days of extreme temperatures, an episode already considered more intense in climatic terms than that of 2003, the worst recorded to date. That heatwave had, at the time, killed 15,000 people, mainly elderly.
Indeed, " Even if the heatwave is comparable from a meteorological point of view to that of 2003, we will probably not be in the same situation from a health point of view"We won't have," clarified Health Minister Stéphanie Rist on Sunday on BFM TV. probably not the same excess mortality" she insisted, noting for example that nursing homes (Etablissement d'hébergement pour personnes âgées dépendantes) were better prepared.
But the current situation has nonetheless had a significant impact on public health. More than 1,200 deaths – from all causes – were recorded on June 24th, and more than 1,400 deaths were recorded daily on June 25th and 26th." Spf explained." For comparison, there were around 900 to 1,000 deaths per day in April/May.“
Extrapolating to Sunday, this already points to a death toll roughly a thousand higher than normal, even though it's not yet possible to officially attribute them to the heat. In reality, this figure is almost certainly lower than the actual number. The count only starts on Wednesday, when the heatwave intensified further with temperatures exceeding 40°C in many parts of the country. Moreover, the effects of the heat can sometimes take days to manifest: for example, they can suddenly worsen a chronic illness, even after temperatures have returned to more normal levels.
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Deaths at home
This data from Public Health France already makes it possible to say who is most affected: the increase in deaths is more pronounced in regions under red alert in recent days, particularly in Ile-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Brittany, Centre-Val de Loire, Normandy and Pays de la Loire"Above all, even though the increase affects all age groups, and emergency services had reported numerous cases of heatstroke among relatively young people, 85% of the observed deaths concern people aged 65 and over" , notes SpF.
At the hospital, however, initial signs suggest a certain easing of tensions. The AP-HP, which manages most of the hospitals in Paris and its immediate surroundings, reported a decrease in emergency room visits (-101,000) over the past 24 hours, although the number remains significantly higher than normal. Calls to the emergency medical services (SAMU) managed by the AP-HP have also begun to decline (-91,000).
But hospital activity does not reflect one specific aspect of this heatwave: the high proportion of deaths at home, which the Ministry of Health had already addressed. concerned "This week. They have surged since the middle of the week, according to SpF." A particularly marked increase in deaths at home is observed, on the order of 40%, especially in Ile-de-France.", Spf notes.
In emergency departments, some healthcare workers expect this trend to worsen at the start of this week. Tomorrow morning, Monday, the home helpers and those who care for the elderly at home will return to work." Philippe Juvin, LR deputy and head of the emergency department at Pompidou Hospital, warned on franceinfo. We're going to open the doors and we'll probably discover people who are either in very, very bad shape at home", or even already" dead" he insisted.
Besides the elderly, Mr. Juvin mentioned two other categories of people at high risk: the homeless and people with psychiatric disorders, both because of their pathology and the side effects of their treatments, such as dehydration.
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