Key Points

• The orange heat wave alert began on July 28 and affected 48 departments across 8 regions. It ended on August 4.

• The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Centre-Val de Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pays de la Loire, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions were affected by at least one department under an orange heatwave alert and also hosted Olympic events.

• Analysis of emergency care utilization shows an increase during the heatwave for the composite health indicator iCanicule (heatstroke/hyperthermia, dehydration, hyponatremia). Utilization levels returned to pre-heatwave levels starting August 4, the last day of the heatwave.

• People aged 75 and older were primarily affected by emergency room visits (51%) and hospitalizations (66%), but all age groups were affected by the heat’s impact on morbidity.

• The initial health impacts observed underscore that heat is a health risk, especially since health effects may be delayed by a few days and increase with continuous exposure over several days. It is important to implement preventive measures aimed at protecting the population.