![]() ![]() The epidemiologists of both the aforementioned institutes have speculated that this brusque acceleration in the number of casualties was a consequence of a cumulative effect of the exceptional intensity and the prolonged duration of the heat. ![]() The excess deaths occurred in hospital (42%), home (35%) and “ maisons de retraite” (19%). The number of heat-related deaths increased dramatically in an exponential fashion as never described before: 300 by August 4th, 3,900 by August 8th, 10,600 by August 12th and 14,800 by August 20th. ![]() This pattern of a temperature greater than 37☌ being maintained for nine consecutive days had not been observed in France since 1873. The heat wave began in early August and was characterised by a progressive increase in the ambient temperature from 25☌ to reach 37☌ on the 4th August, at which level it remained until the 13th when it started decreasing. These accounts shed light on the sequence of events and unveil the demographic characteristics of the victims. Two preliminary reports on the recent heat wave have been published to date and these are accessible online: one by the French watchdog, the Institut National de Veille Sanitaire (INVS) and the other by the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |