Heatwaves and public health in Europe: the WHO response in the summer of 2026

In the summer of 2026 the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region faced prolonged and closely spaced heatwaves. Between late June and early July the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) issued two official statements and convened an emergency meeting among Member States. This factsheet gathers the data and measures made public on those occasions.

The health picture in late June 2026

On 30 June 2026 the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, described the pressure on health services in an official statement. In some French cities emergency medical calls had risen by up to 50 per cent. In London, the previous week had recorded the highest number of life-threatening emergency calls ever logged by the ambulance service in a single day. Spain’s mortality monitoring system had estimated more than 300 heat-associated excess deaths in just a few days, while Italy had reported 5 deaths in 24 hours.

According to the same statement, the European Region is warming at more than twice the global average, and around 60 per cent of hospital admissions following emergency visits during the heatwave involved people aged 75 and older.

What a heat-health action plan does

In the statement of 7 July 2026, WHO/Europe defines a heat-health action plan as a system linking meteorological early warnings to public health responses, health service surge planning, outreach to groups at increased risk and cross-sectoral coordination among health, occupational health, social care, housing and urban planning authorities. Countries with well-functioning plans know in advance who is responsible for each task, which populations are most exposed and at which temperature threshold each level of response is activated.

The effectiveness of adaptation measures

The 30 June statement reports a quantitative estimate of the value of prevention. Heat-related deaths in the European Region in 2023 would have been around 80 per cent higher without the adaptation measures already in place, and for people aged 80 and older they could have been twice as high. WHO/Europe lists heat-health action plans, early warnings, cooling spaces and outreach to vulnerable people as effective tools.

Measures adopted by cities and governments

The two statements list national and local examples. Barcelona expanded its network of climate shelters to more than 500 spaces, including libraries, civic centres, parks and pharmacies. Paris activated its welfare-check register for older and vulnerable residents and restricted public alcohol sales to ease pressure on emergency services. Italy introduced restrictions on outdoor work during the hottest hours in some regions, with furlough arrangements so that workers do not lose income; its mortality surveillance system is active in 45 cities.

Austria activated its updated plan and workplace heat-protection regulations, coordinating national and regional structures. In Belgium the highest alert phase was triggered for only the second time since 2020. Spain worked with media partners to improve risk communication. North Macedonia partnered with Red Cross and Red Crescent teams to reach people without permanent housing.

Gaps reported by Member States

According to WHO/Europe, fewer than half of the European Region’s Member States have a national heat-health action plan. Gaps named by countries include the fact that many people do not recognise they are personally at risk even when a top-level alert is active, the need for more cooling facilities and better awareness of where they are, the need to make health-care infrastructure climate-resilient and, in some cases, procedural delays in formally declaring heatwaves. Long-term care residents, homeless people and socially isolated older adults remain the groups reached with least consistency.

WHO/Europe’s follow-up

On 6 July 2026 WHO/Europe convened an emergency meeting on extreme heat with representatives from 41 Member States of the Region, the European Commission and several civil society organisations, for a total of more than 130 participants. The Regional Office announced that it will synthesise the lessons learned and make them available to all 53 Member States, offering technical support to countries seeking to strengthen their plans. Operational guidance for the public is gathered in WHO/Europe’s KeepCool campaign, which highlights four behaviours (keep out of the heat, keep your home cool, keep your body cool and hydrated, keep in touch with those around you).

Prospects

WHO/Europe indicated two lines of work for the following period: fixing the shortcomings that emerged in recent weeks before the next heatwave, and building health systems that are structurally prepared for extreme heat. The synthesis of the lessons from the 6 July 2026 meeting is expected for the benefit of the Region’s 53 Member States. What remains to be defined, country by country, is the adoption of the national heat-health action plans still missing and the strengthening of coordination among the health, environment, social care, labour and urban planning sectors.

In dialogue with the 2030 Agenda

Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being). Heatwaves directly affect mortality and hospital admissions; heat-health action plans aim to prevent their effects on the most exposed people.
Goal 13 (Climate Action). The rising frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves is linked to the warming of the European Region, which is advancing at more than twice the global average.
Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Climate shelters, cooling spaces and urban planning are among the tools cited to keep cities liveable during extreme heat.
Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Isolated older adults, homeless people and long-term care residents remain the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach groups.
Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Restrictions on outdoor work during the hottest hours, with income-support arrangements, protect the health of exposed workers.