Published on: 2026-07-08
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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July 7, 2026 Healthcare
After the recent record-breaking heatwave that swept across Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the most dangerous days of summer may still lie ahead. This week, temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are forecast to reach 43 degrees Celsius. A new heatwave is expected in France and the Benelux countries, and in several areas of Central Asia, thermometers are already rising above 40 degrees.
In this regard, the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, held an emergency meeting with representatives of countries, as well as the European Commission and civil society organizations.
According to him, countries are increasingly viewing extreme heat not just as a weather phenomenon, but as a serious threat to public health.
Action plans save lives
As noted by the WHO, countries that already have national heat response plans in place have been able to organize the work of essential services more quickly and better protect the population.
Thus, in Italy, a mortality monitoring system operates in 45 cities, allowing the assessment of the consequences of heat almost in real time. In Spain, authorities, together with the media, are improving the system for informing the population about health risks. Austria has updated its national action plan and introduced additional measures to protect workers from heat, while in France, interagency coordination has helped reduce the burden on the healthcare system. In North Macedonia, assistance is provided jointly with the Red Cross to people without permanent housing.
“These examples are important because this experience can be replicated. The necessary tools exist. The evidence base is reliable. When plans are developed and tested before a crisis occurs, they save lives,” emphasized Kluge.
Not all countries are ready for threats
At the same time, the WHO notes that less than half of the countries in the European Region of the organization, which includes 53 countries of Europe and Central Asia, have national plans for responding to extreme heat.
In many countries, people still do not realize that they are in a risk group. The meeting participants also pointed out the lack of cooled centers, especially for the homeless, the need to increase the resilience of medical facilities to the impacts of climate change, and to improve official notification procedures.
Of particular concern is the fact that people living in social institutions, homeless individuals, and lonely elderly citizens do not always receive the necessary assistance.
Extreme heat is becoming a security threat
According to the head of the WHO European Office, one of the most important outcomes of the meeting was the strengthening of cooperation between various agencies. According to Kluge, extreme heat poses a security threat that requires coordination across different sectors.
WHO reported that it will summarize the experience of countries and disseminate recommendations among all 53 countries of the region. The organization will also continue to provide technical support to countries that are developing or improving national plans for protecting the population from heat.
“Work is currently underway in two directions: eliminating deficiencies identified in recent weeks – before the new heat wave arrives – and creating health systems that not only respond to extreme heat but are prepared for it,” Kluge said.
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