Key Points

• The summer of 2024 was 0.7°C warmer than normal, with regional variations, as the Mediterranean region was the most affected. It ranks as the 8th hottest summer since 1900, according to Météo France. In the Pays de la Loire region, the main heatwave occurred from July 29 to August 1 across four out of five departments.

• 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. Although all age groups were affected, people aged 75 and older accounted for more than half of the iCanicule-related visits to emergency rooms. 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 episodes. More than three-quarters of these deaths involved people aged 75 and older.

• In the Pays de la Loire region, during the summer period there were 450 emergency room visits related to the iCanicule health indicator, more than half of which involved people aged 75 or older. Nearly 66% of these visits resulted in hospitalization. In the Nantes and Saint-Nazaire metropolitan areas, SOS Médecins associations performed 99 procedures related to the iCanicule health indicator. During this summer period, it was estimated that 142 deaths were attributable to heat among all deaths reported to INSEE. Approximately three-quarters of these deaths involved people aged 75 and older. Only one relatively short heatwave period (4 days) was observed during the summer, during which 50 emergency room visits were recorded for the iCanicule health indicator and 16 SOS interventions for the same indicator. The number of deaths attributable to heat during this period was estimated at 44.

• 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 observed health impacts underscore the importance of implementing preventive measures to mitigate the effects 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.