Heat Deaths in a ‘Cold’ Country Are a Warning to the Rest of Europe
New York Times · LC · trust 53/100
A June heat wave in Belgium and neighboring countries exposed a lethal lack of readiness. That’s a risk as another wave hits Europe.
Listen · 10:17 min Share full article Treating a 77-year-old woman for heat-related illness last month at MontLégia hospital in the Belgian city of Liège. Credit... Ksenia Kuleshova for The New York Times By Jeanna Smialek and Koba Ryckewaert
Reporting from Brussels and Liège, Belgium
These are scenes that played out in Belgium, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, on a recent summer weekend. They are also a warning to Europe.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent, yet large parts remain ill prepared. As heat waves scorch its nations this summer, they are killing thousands in countries with strong health systems. In just one week in late June, there were around 16,000 excess deaths, or more people who died than usual, in Europe. Belgium, France and Germany were the worst affected, based on data collected by the European Mortality Monitoring Network .
Belgium, known for cold and damp, not searing heat, had the highest excess deaths in Europe, making it a case study into what went wrong. In Wallonia, the region that makes up the country’s south, the death rate was 77 percent higher than what would be expected between mid-June and early July. Some hospitals were overrun, with gurneys and patients lining the hallways and medical staff working without breaks in the unrelenting heat.
“Each crisis is becoming increasingly severe,” said Yves Coppieters, the health minister for Wallonia. “That’s what we’re failing to anticipate.”
Sources: StatBel (daily deaths); Sciensano (typical range). Josh Holder/The New York Times
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