The extremely hot days that Albania is expected to experience can have an impact on the health of its citizens.

Children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses are particularly at risk.

With temperatures expected to exceed 41 degrees Celsius this week, doctors are urging extra caution.

“One of the major problems encountered during heatwaves is the heat stroke leading to loss of consciousness. If a child is exposed during peak hours, they may develop a high fever,” pediatrician Sonila Brati told Euronews Albania.

The tendency to excessively cool indoor environments such as cars, workplaces, and homes, according to the doctor, can be harmful, as significant temperature differences can cause health issues.

“Air conditioning should be set 5 or 6 degrees lower than the outside temperature, as the health problems that arise are significant,” Brati further explained.

Doctors recommend that especially children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses avoid going out during peak hours.

Everyone should use fluids, wear lightweight clothing, and consume fresh food as much as possible to maintain good health during these hot days.

According to data published by Eurostat on July 10, over 61,000 people died in Europe during last year’s heatwave.

The study calls for more efforts to protect the population from deadly heatwaves in the coming years.

Europe, being the continent experiencing the fastest warming, recorded its hottest summer in history in 2022, and while countries were hit by heatwaves, drought damaged crops and wildfires broke out.

The European Union’s statistical agency, Eurostat, had reported an exceptionally high number of deaths during the summer, but the direct deaths attributed to hot weather had not been previously quantified.

A team of researchers analyzed temperature and mortality data from 2015 to 2022. The analyzed data covered 823 regions in 35 European countries, home to 543 million inhabitants.

The researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the French Institute of Health Research, INSERM, used models to estimate the deaths attributable to temperature for each region during each week of the 2022 summer.

They estimated that 61,672 deaths were linked to heat between May 30 and September 4 of last year, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine.

According to the study, the heatwave in the week of July 18-24 alone caused over 11,600 fatalities.

“This is a very high number of deaths,” said Hicham Achebak, a researcher at INSERM and co-author of the study.

According to data analysis, about 63% of heat-related deaths were among women. Regarding the age group over 80, the mortality rate for women was 27% higher compared to men.

Previous research has shown that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average.

If nothing is done to protect people from rising temperatures, Europe is projected to face an average of over 68,000 heat-related deaths every summer by 2030, according to this study.

By 2040, there will be an average of more than 94,000 heat-related deaths, and by 2050, the number of deaths could increase to 120,000, the researchers said.

“These predictions are based on the current vulnerability level and the temperatures expected to prevail in the future,” said Achebak.

“If we take effective measures, this level of vulnerability can be reduced,” he added.