Europe may face 'more deadly weeks' as new heatwave builds, WHO warns

July 7 (Reuters) - The World ‌Health Organization ​warned on ​Tuesday that Europe could face “more deadly weeks” ahead, with another intense heatwave forming over the Atlantic.

Here are more ‌details:

• Temperatures in Portugal and southern Spain are expected ⁠to climb to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the coming days.

• WHO ‌Regional Director for Europe Hans ‌Kluge held an emergency call on Monday with representatives from 41 countries in the region, the European Commission and civil ​society groups to discuss lessons from the recent heatwave and preparations for the next one.

• Kluge said in a statement ⁠that countries with heat-health action plans in place responded more quickly and better protected their ​populations during the June heatwave.

• However, he said that less than half of WHO's European member states had ​such a plan in place.

• Experts ‌have said the June 20-28 heatwave was the most severe recorded in Europe, causing disruption to power ⁠generation, damaging infrastructure and overwhelming healthcare systems.

• The extreme heat was almost certainly driven by climate change, scientists said.

• France, the Netherlands and Belgium ⁠recorded 3,700 excess deaths, with authorities warning that the numbers are preliminary and ​could rise.

• Temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in parts of Europe during the heatwave.

• Kluge said care home residents, homeless people and socially isolated older ‌adults were still not being reached consistently across Europe.

• "The work now is on two fronts: fixing what ‌failed in recent weeks before the next heatwave hits and building ⁠the kind of health systems ‌that don’t just respond ​to extreme heat but are ready for it," Kluge said.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Ros Russell)

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