The Spanish Ministry of Health has implemented the National Plan for Preventive Actions against the Effects of Excessive Temperatures on Health, operational from May 16 to September 30. This plan aims to safeguard public health by mitigating the adverse impacts of high temperatures, with a particular focus on vulnerable demographics such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and individuals with chronic illnesses.

Understanding the Plan’s Objectives

The Ministry of Health has initiated the National Plan for Preventive Actions against the Effects of Excessive Temperatures on health. The primary objective is to prevent and alleviate the detrimental effects of extreme heat on public health, especially among groups at heightened risk, including the elderly, pregnant women, minors, and individuals with chronic ailments, as well as those engaged in outdoor labor or activities.

Alert Mechanisms and Communication Strategies

An essential component of the plan involves timely alerts to health authorities and the public regarding potential risk scenarios. To achieve this, the Ministry of Health will provide daily forecasts of maximum temperatures by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) to each region in Spain, along with corresponding health risk assessments due to elevated temperatures. This information will also be accessible to the general public through the Ministry’s website.

Assessment of Health Risks

The Plan establishes a health impact temperature threshold for each area, beyond which a statistically significant connection between mortality and heat has been identified.

On a daily basis, the Ministry of Health assigns a risk level for each region based on AEMET’s predicted temperatures for the current day and the following two days. The risk levels are categorized into four tiers (level 0 (green), indicating no risk; level 1 (yellow), suggesting low risk; level 2 (orange), indicating medium risk; and level 3 (red), signifying high risk).

Innovations for 2024: Introducing the Meteoalert Zone

In 2024, they’ve added something important called the “Meteoalert Zone” to the plan. This is a new way of dividing areas to issue warnings about extreme heat. Before, they only used provincial divisions, but now they’re using this new zone alongside it to give more specific information. Researchers from the Carlos III Health Institute figured out the new levels of extreme heat for each of these zones. Starting from June 3, they’ll start giving out extreme heat warnings for these Meteoalert zones.

Accessing Information: Updates and Subscriptions

This information is updated daily on the Ministry of Health’s website. Furthermore, until September 30, everyone can sign up to a free service to receive temperature forecasts and risk assessments. These messages for their requested town will be sent via email and mobile phone. You can sign up on the following page on the Ministry of Health’s website: https://www.sanidad.gob.es/en/excesoTemperaturas2024/suscripcion.do