The first heat wave of the year responsible for nearly 500 deaths

It is now a reality: our summers will be hotter and warmer … and murderers. “In a context of climate change, we are witnessing a multiplication of extreme climatic events, and in particular heat waves”confirms Guillaume Boulanger, from the Health Department Environment Public Health Climate France.

Et “These heat waves are increasingly extended, with a significant health impact, especially in terms of mortality”. Fifteen days after the end of the first episode of heat wave of the year 2025, tried “Remarkable by its precocity and duration”Public Health France communicated an estimate of the additional mortality attributed to this heat wave which raged from June 19 to July 6.

According to the organization, 480 people are died of a cause directly linked to this scorching episode, an increase of 5.5% of the mortality expected during this period.

74% of the population affected by the heat wave

Almost all of the territory had been struck: if all of France was hot, 60 departments, spread over all of the regions except Normandy, were affected on durations varying from 3 to 12 days. It is estimated that 74% of the French population was thus affected by the phenomenon.

And as often, it is the most fragile who found themselves on the front line: “People aged 75 and over constitute most of this provisional assessment with 410 excess deaths (+ 6.7 %), for this age group”Public health note France. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region, renowned for its high concentration of seniors, which paid the heaviest tribute, with 140 excess deaths (compared to usual statistics).

Mortality to take now into account each summer

This mortality during the heat wave is today a constant. Over the 2014-2023 period, Public Health France estimated the number of deaths attributable to heat at 31,000, of which “30% during heat waves, which however represent only 6% of the days studied”.

And the figures of recent years clearly show an upward development. Published in March, the French Health and Health Health assessment for 2024 had reported 3,700 deaths directly attributable to heat exposure, including 600 during heat wave episodes. The main scorching episode had taken place from July 28 to August 14, affecting 43 departments and 40% of the population, during a summer qualified by Météo France of 8th summer the hottest since 1900.

If it is difficult to establish a precise comparison, as the territories and different intensities, these figures of 2024 show that the assessment of this first heat wave 2025 are no longer exceptional, but sadly common.

NAMELY

Public Health France took advantage of the publication of the assessment of the mortality of the first heat wave of 2025 to recall the main ways to protect yourself from strong heat waves: stay in the fridge, including in any place receiving the public (library, store, cinema, museum, etc.), favor outings early in the morning, well (water, vegetables and fruits rich in water, etc.), (melon, cucumber, tomato Pasteque…), favor sweet physical activities, get your body regularly (glove, wet linen, warm shower, etc.), take news from fragile relatives.

In case of discomfort: do the 15th.

The main signs of a heat stroke or dehydration are headache, unusual fatigue, cramps, nausea/vomiting, inconsistent words, fever> 38 ° C.