300 deaths in Catalonia and more than a thousand in Spain due to heat in two months

BarcelonaThe Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the Carlos III Health Institute—the only tool that allows for a near-real-time snapshot of the deaths that occur daily in Spain—estimates that between May 16 and July 13, 300 people died in Catalonia from causes attributable to heat. In June, it is estimated that There were 55, and this July the figure has already risen to 245.

This increase in excess mortality—when the deaths that occur [observed] exceed those expected [estimated] in a given territory and period—is reproduced in the Spanish State. In fact, since the heat plan was activated, exactly two months ago, the MoMo estimates that 1,180 people have lost their lives due to high temperatures, as announced this Monday by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. Last year, in the same period, there were 70, so there is an increase in deaths attributable to heat of more than 1,035%.

The Health and Climate Change Observatory (OSCC) held a monitoring meeting this Monday to assess the evolution of extreme temperatures and their impact on the health of the population in recent weeks. In this regard, the data analyzed confirms a thermal episode of exceptional intensity: since mid-May, the regions have activated the red level for extreme heat on up to 76 occasions, while in the same period last year there were none.

Ten confirmed victims

This, according to the ministry, demonstrates an unprecedented increase in average temperatures and mortality attributable to heat waves. In fact, in the first week of July, deaths attributable to heat increased by 47% compared to the June total, although the autonomous communities only reported 10 heat-related deaths.

This occurs because these deaths are considered "silent." They are often not recorded as such, since people may die because they are older or have illnesses, and high temperatures aggravate their health, but they are not considered the medical cause of death. Hence, MoMo estimates are so important when monitoring the impact of temperatures on mortality.

In this regard, the Spanish government emphasizes that 95% of the deceased were over 65 years old and three out of five were women. "This distribution is due both to the greater presence of women in older ages and to physiological factors that contribute to greater vulnerability to the effects of heat," the ministry concludes.

Regarding the territorial distribution of mortality risk attributable to heat waves offered by the MoMo, for now the most affected autonomous regions this summer are Catalonia, especially Girona and Tarragona, with 300 attributable deaths; Galicia (159), the Valencian Community (138), the Community of Madrid (130) and Andalusia (111). According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), this month will continue with temperatures above the historical average throughout the State.

This increase in deaths was already confirmed by a study led by Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which indicated that the heat wave that hit Europe between June 23 and July 2 raised temperatures by up to 4 °C and increased the number of expected deaths for this period of time, especially in Italy, Catalonia and France.