Emergency services across southern Europe have seen a surge in heat related illnesses, as temperatures soared above 40°C for days on end.
Hospitals in southern Italy, one of the regions worst affected by the Charon heatwave, have reported some of the busiest hours in emergency departments since the covid-19 peak in 2020.
Staff at the Cardarelli Hospital in Naples said one patient arrived at its emergency department every six minutes for heat related treatment over a 24 hour period on 18 July.
The Civil Protection Agency warned that dangerous heat would persist in the region until the afternoon of 22 July, with temperatures of up to 41°C, exacerbated by high humidity.
Antonio d’Amore, the general manager of Cardarelli Hospital, told journalists, “We are in an extremely delicate moment.” He said the public should come to the emergency department only in cases of real need.
Some 88 patients were deemed “code yellow” or critical in the hospital emergency’s department on 18 July, up 52% on the previous week. D’Amore said …