Key Points

• A heat wave began on August 5, when Météo-France placed 32 departments under a yellow alert. Starting on August 6, several departments were placed under an orange alert in 8 regions and under a red alert in 3 regions. On August 11 at 6 a.m., 54 departments were still under an orange alert, and 15 under a red alert.

• Healthcare utilization (emergency room visits and SOS Médecins calls) for heat-related causes increased between August 5 and 11 across all age groups, reaching 0.72% of emergency room activity and 1.6% of SOS Médecins activity on August 10 (a composite health indicator tracked as part of the national heat wave management plan, iCanicule).

• More than half of the emergency room visits for the iCanicule indicator were followed by hospitalization.

• No fatal workplace accidents were reported to Santé publique France.

• The health impacts observed here demonstrate that heat poses a health risk. It is important to implement the preventive measures recommended by the national heat wave management plan.