The World Health Organization issued new guidance on Thursday aimed at helping European countries withstand increasingly severe heatwaves, as this summer’s extreme temperatures have already caused nearly 10,000 excess deaths across five countries.
Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average, straining health systems, social care services and communities as heatwaves grow more frequent and intense.
WHO described the situation as an urgent and worsening public health threat, driven by climate change and compounded by urbanization and an aging population.
Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, said heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives across the region in just the past four years, with heat-related mortality rising 30 percent over the past two decades.
Yet he insisted the toll isn’t fixed: “heat deaths are not inevitable” because the tools to prevent them are known; early warnings, cooler cities, access to water and shade, checks on vulnerable people, and hospitals prepared before temperatures spike.
Read More: Europe Records Over 10,000 Excess Deaths During Late-June Heatwave
Hospitals themselves are often unprepared for extreme heat. Buildings can overheat, causing power, cooling systems, computers and other technology to fail, while both staff and patients face heightened stress and burnout. This risk is especially acute in cities, where dense construction traps heat.
The new WHO guidance strengthens what are known as Heat-Health Action Plans, linking weather alerts to concrete public health responses; outreach to at-risk populations, cooling centers, hospital surge planning, and public communication.
It lays out eight core elements for national and local authorities, covering governance, warning systems, protections for vulnerable groups, communication, health system resilience, exposure reduction, surveillance, and ongoing evaluation.
Real-world examples illustrate the approach. In Romania, Buhuși Hospital has set up a designated cool space for heatstroke patients with cool water and staff trained to recognize early signs of heat exhaustion, and is seeking funding for a hospital-wide cooling system.
Read More: Europe’s Worst Heatwave Brings Chaos and a Dire Climate Warning
Elsewhere, WHO’s Hospital Safety Index is increasingly being applied to climate and heat risks, with Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Poland and Ukraine conducting assessments to guide investment.
The United Kingdom offers another model. Its Adverse Weather and Health Plan uses a color-coded alert system developed with the Met Office, tying each alert level to specific actions for health services and the public.
The UK issued amber alerts in May ahead of temperatures reaching 35.1°C, followed by red alerts in June as parts of the country hit an unprecedented 37.7°C.
WHO first issued guidance on heat-health planning in 2008. The updated version reflects nearly two decades of additional experience, and comes as European authorities scramble to respond to what is shaping up as one of the continent’s most severe heat seasons on record.
