Germany records around 14,000 heat-related deaths so far this year

Berlin, Aug 20 (IANS) Around 14,000 people have died from heat-related causes in Germany since the beginning of the year as of August 9, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s leading public health authority, said Thursday.

The figure corresponds to nearly 17 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the RKI’s latest report on heat-related mortality.

The number of heat-related deaths recorded so far this year has already surpassed the total for any previous full year. The previous record was set in 2018, when approximately 9,000 heat-related deaths were recorded, German news agency dpa reported.

The RKI said the estimated number of heat-related deaths in Germany this year has continued to rise.

Heat waves pose particularly high risks to older people, with heat-related excess mortality rising sharply among those aged 75 and above. Nearly 10,500 of the heat-related deaths recorded so far this year were among people in this age group, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Last month, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) warned that extreme heat poses a growing health challenge and called for better preparation from individuals and governments.

Describing Europe as the fastest-warming continent in a press release, with temperatures rising at around twice the global average rate, the agency said the deadly higher temperatures had also placed sudden pressure on essential services, including health and social care.

WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri P. Kluge said heat had claimed more than 200,000 lives across the region over the past four years, while heat-related mortality had risen by 30 per cent over the past two decades.

“But heat deaths are not inevitable,” Kluge said, calling for early warnings, cooler cities, more access to water and shade, support for vulnerable people and better-prepared health systems before temperatures peak.

–IANS

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