Belgium reports about 3,000 excess deaths over summer due to heat
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Fire services personnel are deployed as smoke rises from a wildfire, in the High Fens region of Belgium, on Aug 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BRUSSELS – Heatwaves from June 18 through Aug 16 caused 2,935 excess deaths in Belgium, or 22.6 per cent excess mortality, public health body Sciensano said in a report on Sept 3.
From June 18 through July 3, Belgium recorded its highest excess mortality, with 2,035 additional deaths, or 48.8 per cent above expected levels, Sciensano said.
Starting on June 18, maximum temperatures of around 30 deg C were recorded for 10 consecutive days, including three days of temperatures around 35 deg C, with nights during that period also exceptionally warm.
Sciensano said mortality from June 18 through July 3 was the highest recorded during a heatwave since the start of its analyses in the year 2000.
The two other heatwave periods, from July 4 to 17 and July 28 to Aug 16, saw lower excess mortality, with 535 excess deaths (14.8 per cent) and 365 excess deaths (7 per cent), respectively.
While people aged 65 and older account for most heatwave-related deaths, Sciensano said excess mortality also occurs among younger people.
Europe experienced several heatwaves during the summer, with the UN weather agency in August saying periods of extreme heat are becoming more frequent, intense and longer-lasting as climate change warms the planet. REUTERS
