Key Points 

Extreme Heat, Heat Wave 

• From June 18 to July 2, 2026, an exceptionally intense heat wave struck France. According to Météo-France, this was a heat wave of exceptional severity, exceeding even that of August 2003 in intensity. From June 21 to June 27, all departments in Normandy were placed under a heatwave alert by Météo-France, including a red alert from June 22 to June 26.
• A sharp increase in calls to SOS Médecins and emergency rooms was observed for iCanicule (hyperthermia/heatstroke, hyponatremia, dehydration) during the week of June 22–28 (S26), reaching levels never before seen since the inception of heat and health monitoring. Emergency room visits primarily involved people over the age of 65.
• In addition to the iCanicule indicator, significant increases were observed for other syndrome groups that may be linked to heat. For example, visits to emergency rooms and calls to SOS Médecins for fainting spells, ENT infections, and skin conditions were on the rise; the same was true for isolated fevers and acute gastroenteritis in emergency rooms only.

Arboviral Diseases 

• Several people residing in the region who had traveled to an endemic area contracted an arbovirus infection and were reported as imported cases since the start of enhanced surveillance: these include 9 cases of dengue, mostly imported from Martinique, and one case of chikungunya, imported from Madagascar.

All-Cause Mortality

• A sharp increase in all-cause mortality was observed during week 26 (June 22–28) based on electronic death certificates and administrative death reports (INSEE). This rise in mortality coincided with the exceptional heat wave that affected Normandy in late June 2026.