During the three periods of time in the summer where the heat and ozonplan has been triggered, there are more and more people have died than expected. That the report of the institute for health and Sciensano. The over-mortality was particularly high in the second half of July, when the president no less than 35 per cent more deaths than expected.

“the three-warmteperioden we saw each over-mortality, with the peak values at and shortly after, days with temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius,” said Sciensano.

just after the first warmteperiode (June 21 to July 2, there was a moderate over-mortality in all age groups of the population, particularly in the 65 – to 84-year olds. There were 128 additional deaths (+4 percent), in addition to the 2.885-expected mortality. The over-mortality continued in Flanders are lower than in Wallonia and in Brussels, as the temperatures during this period were higher in the walloon region and in Brussels, according to researcher Nathalie Bossuyt.

the Heat island

in the second hitteperiode (19-27 July), there was a distinct over-mortality (+17 per cent, or 400 extra deaths on top of the 2.296 expected deaths), particularly in the 85 years and older. Especially in Brussels, it was the over-mortality by 35 per cent, additional mortality is very high. “One possible explanation for this would be an urban “heat-island” effect. In the cities, it is a lot warmer than surrounding areas due to blocking of winds and the trapping of heat in the concrete, asphalt, and stone. Therefore, even in the nighttime there will continue to be higher, while in the rural areas, however, the cooler it is,” says Nathalie Bossuyt.

finally, In the third period, from the 23rd to the 29th of August, there was, again, a clear over-mortality (+10 per cent or 188 fatalities, in addition to the 1.795-expected deaths), especially among people aged 65 and over. It was over-mortality in the flemish and walloon regions, but not in Brussels.

“in Spite of the extensive hitteplannen this summer, we’ll see when warmteperioden is still over-mortality,” according to Sciensano. The institute is calling for the Belgians this summer, is already on the right bechermen during the heat, and the recommendations of the region to follow suit.

Sciensano emphasized that, in spite of the clear trend, it is still too early to draw conclusions about the total number of deaths in the summer of 2019. In addition, the institute is not a specific cause of death, so that it is not possible to determine what, exactly, is the over-mortality has been determined.