Extreme heat claims 175,000 lives a year in Europe: WHO

COPENHAGEN: Extreme heat kills over 175,000 people a year in Europe, where temperatures are rising quicker than the rest of the globe, the World Health Organisation´s (WHO) European branch said on Thursday.

Of the some 489,000 heat-related deaths recorded each year by the WHO between 2000 and 2019, the European region accounts for 36 percent or on average 176,040 deaths, the WHO said.

The health body noted that temperatures in the region are “rising at around twice the global average rate.”

The WHO´s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia.

“People are paying the ultimate price,” Hans Kluge, the WHO´s regional director for Europe, said in a statement.

According to the WHO, there has been a 30 percent increase in heat-related mortality in the region over the past two decades. “Temperature extremes exacerbate chronic conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and cerebro-vascular diseases, mental health, and diabetes-related conditions,” Kluge said.