Heatwaves are a serious health hazard. Tips for everyday medical practice and how you can implement climate-friendly measures yourself.
By Eva Kaiserseder

Long heatwaves with temperatures well above thirty degrees and no cooling in sight have become the new normal in Austrian summers. For vulnerable groups such as the elderly or children, however, these temperatures pose a considerable health risk. At the same time, the effects of heat are often underestimated. Yet in above-average hot summers, hospital stays due to heat-related illnesses increase by around 27 per cent, according to current figures from GÖG (Gesundheit Österreich GmbH). Vienna's population is particularly exposed, with 27 hot days per year in the city — that is, days with temperatures above 30 degrees.

Last year, incidentally, is — for now — considered the year with the highest average temperature ever recorded worldwide. This stood at 15.1 degrees Celsius, which is 0.72 degrees Celsius above the 1991–2020 average and 1.6 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average (1850–1900). The record holder was 22 July: on that day, the global average temperature was recorded at 17.16 degrees Celsius.

In the current Am Puls cover story entitled "Red alert: heat as a health risk", environmental medicine specialists, among others, share what matters during heatwaves and what can and must be done about them.

"We have a distorted self-image"… also read the interview with Daniel Huppmann!