The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe released the updated WHO ‘Heatwaves and Health Action Plan Guidance’ in Berlin, Germany on the 11th, providing a scientific framework for national governments and relevant departments to effectively carry out high-temperature protection work.
A press release issued by WHO's Regional Office for Europe stated that with the global frequency of extreme high temperatures increasing, health problems and premature deaths caused by high temperatures are rising every year, with cardiovascular diseases being particularly prone to increase or worsen under heat exposure. Meanwhile, as urbanization advances and the proportion of high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions rises, persistent heatwaves pose an increasingly grave threat to public health.
The release said that the new edition of the guidelines puts forward recommendations centered around eight core elements, including improving local high-temperature early warning systems and optimizing risk communication with vulnerable groups.
Compared with the version first released in 2008, the new guidelines integrate the latest advances in scientific research and practice in recent years.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said that Europe is warming faster than other continents, and over the past four years, more than 200,000 people have died from high temperatures.
He stated that high temperatures are a 'silent killer', but the damage they cause is not inevitable. The new guidelines provide a clear roadmap for government departments in various countries to establish high-temperature response systems.
According to the release, among premature deaths caused by extreme high temperatures in Europe, Italy has the most cases, followed by Spain, Germany, and Greece, with Greece having the highest number of heat-related deaths per million people. Data from Germany's disease control agency Robert Koch Institute show that there will be about 2,500 heat-related deaths in Germany in 2025, with elderly people and patients with underlying diseases being particularly affected by high temperatures.