Not since Covid-19 has Europe had a summer with such high excess mortality, according to figures from the Statens Serum Institut. But what is unusual, a researcher says, is also who has been affected.

Excess-mortality figures in Europe surprise Danish researcher: »It is unusual for this group to be hit«

Chantal Molignier, 76, turns on a fan in her home on one of Paris’s hot summer days. According to a study in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, global warming in the coming decades will have consequences for older people, who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. Foto: Simon Wohlfahrt/Ritzau Scanpix

Først troede Lasse Vestergaard, at der var tale om en fejl. Han er overlæge på Statens Serum Institut, som året rundt overvåger dødeligheden i 27 europæiske lande. Men denne sommer var der noget ved tallene, der fik ham til at spærre øjnene op.

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Excess-mortality figures in Europe surprise Danish researcher: »It is unusual for this group to be hit«

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