According to preliminary data provided by the World Metrological Organisation (WMO), last week (3-9 July) was the hottest ever measured. We also know that June 2023 was the hottest June on record.

However, it turns out that these frightening figures are not the only thing we should be worried about. Exposing yourself to heatwaves and high temperatures not only can have serious consequences for our health but can even kill us.

In 2021 a hydrologist from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) said that Poland had been in a drought for the previous seven years. 2022 was no better with researchers indicating that the situation in the country was the worst for the last five years as there was not a single voivodship where IMGW did not issue a hydrological drought warning. This year is also very unlikely to be better.

Consequently one can worry not only about limited access to water, but also about increased mortality rate. Professor Marek Sanak, a geneticist, paediatrician and director of the Faculty of Medicine at the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences draws attention to this problem in an interview with Polish Press Agency (PAP).

The data shows that 763 people died in Poland in the summer of 2022 as a result of overheating. This figure corresponds to roughly a third of all traffic fatalities during the year and is also as much as 65 per cent higher than the annual number of drownings. It appears that people are more likely to die of overheating than by drowning.

Marek Sanak explains that as soon as heatstroke is diagnosed, the body should be cooled down immediately with wet or cold compresses. Everyone should also remember to keep their body well hydrated and look for the shade while outside. It is also a good idea to wear headgear if you are already exposed to the sun.

"The characteristic symptoms accompanying heatstroke are disturbances of consciousness; fatigue, drowsiness, vomiting and disorientation. Neurological symptoms are accompanied by an accelerated pulse or breathing and a drop in blood pressure," said the doctor in an interview with PAP.

It is not only in Poland that people are increasingly dying due to the heat. In an article published in "Nature" magazine scientists from France, Spain and Switzerland indicated that more than 61,000 people have died in Europe due to the heat. Most deaths were reported in Italy, Spain and Germany.

Source: PAP, Nature Magazine, Radio Pogoda