Key Points

• The summer of 2024 was 0.7°C warmer than the average for the three summer months from 1991 to 2010, with the Mediterranean region being the most affected. Météo France ranks it as the 8th hottest summer since 1900 at the national level. In the Centre-Val de Loire region, the main heatwave occurred from July 29 to 31, with two departments particularly affected (Indre-et-Loire and Loir-et-Cher).

• Nationally, more than 17,000 emergency care visits related to the iCanicule composite health indicator (including heatstroke, dehydration, and hyponatremia) were recorded during the summer: 15,000 emergency room visits, 70% of which were followed by hospitalization, and nearly 2,500 SOS Médecins consultations. Although all age groups were affected, people aged 75 and older accounted for more than half of the iCanicule-related emergency room visits. More than 3,700 deaths were attributable to heat exposure across the entire summer monitoring period, representing more than 2% of all-cause mortality observed. During heatwave episodes, more than 600 deaths were attributable to heat exposure, representing over 10% of all-cause mortality observed during these periods. More than three-quarters of these deaths involved people aged 75 and older.

• In the Centre-Val de Loire region, 583 visits to hospital emergency departments (70% of which were followed by hospitalization) and 32 SOS Médecins calls for the iCanicule indicator were recorded between June 1 and September 15, 2024. During heatwave days in the affected departments, the proportion of emergency room visits related to iCanicule accounted for 0.4% of total activity (note the absence of SOS Médecins data for the affected departments). During these episodes, half of the iCanicule-related visits involved people aged 75 or older. This age group also accounted for three-quarters of hospitalizations due to heatwaves. Over the entire summer, the number of deaths attributable to heat was estimated at 123, 8% of which occurred during heatwave episodes. All deaths attributable to heat involved people aged 75 and older.

• In collaboration with the College of General Practitioners (CMG), Santé publique France raised awareness among general practitioners regarding the management of heat-vulnerable patients through a newsletter.

• The health impacts observed in France this year, particularly in the southeastern part of the country, underscore the importance of implementing preventive measures to mitigate the impact of heat—not only during heat waves but throughout the summer—and the need for a strengthened climate change adaptation strategy at both the national and regional levels.