High summer temperatures claimed the lives of 22 people in the Canary Islands during August, according to figures from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII). The majority of the victims were women over the age of 65, a group particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.
Most fatalities occurred during the week of 11-17 August, when the archipelago experienced an intense heatwave. That week alone accounted for 17 of the 22 deaths, coinciding with the first-ever maximum alert declaration for high temperatures across the Canary Islands.
The Ministry of Health stresses that extreme heat is strongly linked to higher morbidity and mortality rates. Epidemiological studies confirm that heatwaves increase deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.
When exposed to high temperatures, the human body's thermoregulatory system can be overwhelmed. Possible consequences include:
Vulnerability increases with ageing, chronic illnesses, disability, and social factors such as isolation or poverty.
A healthy individual can tolerate an internal temperature variation of about 3ºC without severe consequences. Beyond 37ºC, however, the body triggers defence mechanisms. Older adults and children are less able to adapt, making them especially at risk.
To mitigate these dangers, Spain has a National Plan for Preventive Actions Against the Effects of Excessive Temperatures, coordinated by the Ministry of Health.
The MoMo system, created in 2004, monitors daily mortality across the country to detect deviations from expected patterns. It provides real-time estimates of excess deaths related to extreme temperatures (both heat and cold), broken down by region, sex, and age group. This monitoring allows public health authorities to react more quickly to dangerous weather events.