Abnormally hot weather in a number of regions of the world leads to a significant increase in the burden on health care systems, the World Health Organization said.
“Extremely hot weather is putting increased pressure on health care systems,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference.
He noted that heat often exacerbates pre-existing health problems and leads to premature death and disability. According to him, such weather poses the greatest danger for the elderly, children, and the poor.
The director general of the organization noted that the WHO, together with the World Meteorological Organization, is working to provide support to countries that have encountered abnormal weather.
Earlier it was reported that the abnormal heat continues to cause inconvenience to residents of a number of southern European countries, in particular Spain and Italy. The air temperature in Sicily approached 47 degrees Celsius during the afternoon on Wednesday. At least 20 cities in Italy continue to have an increased level of danger imposed by the authorities due to the heat. We are talking, in particular, about Rome, Florence and Bologna.