Key Points

• From August 6, 2024, to August 12, 2024, amid a heat wave, Météo-France issued an orange heat wave alert for four departments in the Occitanie region (covering 46.7% of the region’s resident population): Aude, Gard, Hérault, and Pyrénées-Orientales.

• The regional analysis of emergency care utilization does not indicate an unusual increase in the iCanicule composite health indicator (including hyperthermia, dehydration, and hyponatremia) since August 6, 2024. In fact, despite an increase in the number of visits to emergency facilities, the trends for this indicator fell within the expected fluctuations for the current weather conditions (a trend observable across the region as a whole).

• Heat poses a health risk to the entire population. The observed health impacts underscore the importance of implementing preventive measures to mitigate the effects of heat.