The Minister of Health, Mónica García, reported this Wednesday that 101 deaths linked to high temperatures were recorded in Spain during the month of May, the highest figure for this period since records began and more than three times above the average of the last ten years. Given this situation and with the aim of "protecting lives," the Ministry has launched the Heat Plan, operational since May 16.
"The problem is no longer just that it's hotter. The problem is that the heat is arriving earlier and earlier. And when it arrives earlier, our bodies have not yet acclimatized, and that's when we have the social perception that the risk does not yet exist," García warned during the presentation of the document, then emphasizing that "the first episodes of extreme heat usually have an especially high health impact."
The head of Health stressed that extreme heat "is a threat to public health" and recalled that, between 2015 and 2025, the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) estimates more than 27,500 deaths attributable to high temperatures. "Last year alone there were 3,832 people, the second worst figure in the entire historical series," she noted.
As she explained, summer currently lasts "almost six weeks" longer than in the 80s, and in the last week of May, thermal values between 10 and 15 degrees above normal for these dates have been reached. In addition, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) anticipates a "warmer than normal" summer in much of Spain.
"The question is not only how hot it will be, the question is when it will arrive, how long it will last, and who will be most exposed. And that is precisely the spirit of this Heat Plan," García highlighted, emphasizing the importance of identifying the most vulnerable population and adapting the health response to increasingly early and intense heat episodes.
(FURTHER DETAILS TO FOLLOW)