Key Points

• The orange and red heat wave alerts for the June heat wave were in effect from June 18 through July 2. Between July 4 and 7, 16 departments were placed under an orange heat wave alert, covering 14% of France’s population. This is a new heatwave episode occurring very close on the heels of the previous one, leading to repeated exposure of the general population to extreme heat, which can increase the vulnerability of populations, particularly the most vulnerable individuals.
• The number of emergency care visits across all age groups for the iCanicule indicator (hyperthermia/heatstroke, dehydration, and hyponatremia) decreased between June 26 and July 3. Since then, this number has stabilized for emergency room visits and has even shown a slight increase for SOS Médecins calls since July 4.
• The number of hospitalizations following emergency room visits for the iCanicule indicator has decreased since June 26 and has stabilized between July 5 and 6.
• All age groups are affected by these emergency care visits for the iCanicule indicator, but the increases in recent days appear to particularly involve cases of hyperthermia/heatstroke and individuals under the age of 15.
• The trends observed in emergency care use are consistent with temperature trends. These impacts underscore the importance of implementing prevention and adaptation measures for the entire population, based on weather forecasts, without waiting to observe actual impacts. As a reminder, the effects on morbidity do not allow us to predict mortality.