Key Points

• The third heat wave of the summer of 2022 began on Sunday, July 31, with the issuance of an orange heat wave alert in five departments in the Southeast. These departments had already been affected for an extended period by the previous heat wave, which ended on July 26.

• Analysis of emergency care utilization shows a slight increase since the orange alert was activated, particularly among people over 75 years of age. It should be noted that in the three regions concerned, the levels of care utilization observed before the second heat wave (July 12–26) were not seen again until the arrival of the third heat wave.

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