Key Points

• The first orange heat wave alerts for July were issued on July 12, 2022. Since then, 85 departments have been placed under an orange heat wave alert, covering 89% of the metropolitan population. Among these departments, 15 have been under a red heat wave alert to date, covering 16.5% of the population. This heat wave could persist for an extended period in the lower Rhône Valley.

• Analysis of emergency care utilization indicates an increase from the start of the episode, with peaks observed on July 15 and 18 for the composite health indicator tracked under the national heatwave management plan (hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia).

• Two fatal workplace accidents possibly linked to heat exposure were reported to Santé publique France, including one during the red alert.

• The health impacts observed here underscore once again that heat is a major health risk and highlight the need to implement the preventive measures recommended by the heat wave health management system.