Up to 20,000 heat deaths per year: Lauterbach announces national heat protection plan for Germany

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It is “unacceptable” for between 5,000 and 20,000 heat-related deaths to be reported each year. “It’s an avoidable death,” the minister said.

France already responded in 2003

The heat death is just the tip of the iceberg. Many people would also need care because, for example, they had a heart attack or a stroke after a heat stroke. Lauterbach is planning a heat protection plan modeled on France, which reacted after the hot summer of 2003 and “solved the problem much better”.

The minister wants to be guided by the French model, which defines different degrees of severity of a heat wave and links it to specific measures. As examples he mentioned addressing the sick and the elderly in a targeted manner, and educating them about the symptoms of an impending heat stroke or heat death.

The possibility of cold stores and free water dispensers is also being considered. The minister wants to bring together those responsible from the nursing, medical profession, municipalities, states and clinics in the coming weeks and work on a national heat protection plan in a “coordinated action” in the coming weeks.

Long periods of heat in Germany

Due to climate change, hot days in Germany are also increasing by more than 30 degrees Celsius and there are longer periods of heat. This entails health risks, especially for the elderly, the sick and children. According to experts, the German health system is not yet equipped for extreme heat waves.

So far, only a few municipalities and only a few clinics have plans for heat protection. There were more than 4,500 heat-related deaths in the past year alone. According to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 19,000 people died from heat in Germany in the three summers from 2018 to 2020.

(AFP)

Source: Blick