Andalucía activates protocol to prevent heat-related health incidents

The high temperatures are already here, as they are every late spring. They will keep rising throughout the summer, with its hot, dry winds. To address accompanying risks, the Andalusian regional health ministry activates on Friday the protocol concerning the prevention of heat-related incidents.

The target populations are the over-65s; the chronically ill; people taking medication that may influence the body's adaptation to heat such as diuretics, antihypertensives, antidepressants, neuroleptics, anticholinergics and tranquilisers; pregnant women; children under the age of four and infants; people with memory disorders; people with specific difficulties with adapting to heat; and alcohol and drug consumers.

Other people particularly vulnerable to the heat include those whose living conditions increase their risk, especially people who live alone, homeless people and those facing financial hardship, as well as anyone exposed to excessive heat at schools, through work, leisure or sporting activities. Tourists and migrants also often struggle to adapt between 2pm and 7pm.

The protocol establishes different alert levels based on the risk high temperatures pose, identifies the most vulnerable groups and outlines monitoring and support mechanisms to minimise the impact of extreme heat. It also includes the activation of specific preventative measures depending on the level of risk and the area of operation.

The protocol focuses on key areas such as the homes of elderly people, nursing homes and areas with a higher risk of social exclusion. It includes information on risk levels in different zones. These zones are meteorological prediction areas below the provincial level, with similar climatologies for adverse weather phenomena (AWP) as the Aemet state meteorological agency defines them.

The alert levels are: Level 0 or no risk (green); Level 1 or low risk (yellow); Level 2 or medium risk (amber); and Level 3 or high risk (red).

The public can access updated information and recommendations through the Salud Responde app or the Ventana Abierta a la Familia service. In addition, the Andalusian health service has reactivated the Verano y Salud Andalucía website, where residents can find information on how to protect themselves from the heat.

Among the main recommendations for coping with high temperatures are avoiding direct sun exposure as much as possible during the hottest hours of the day. If staying in is impossible, residents and toursits should use maximum protection: wear light-coloured, lightweight clothing, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen; stay well hydrated; eat fruit and vegetables, etc.

People whose work involves sun exposure should moderate physical exertion during the hottest hours. Babies should not be under direct sun exposure.

In 2025, the protocol was active for 137 days, during which time the authorities issued 3,973 risk level alerts. During this period, 50 days were at Level 0 (with 3,385 alerts); 53 days at Level 1 (with 435); 18 days at Level 2 (with 107); and 16 days at Level 3 (with 46).

The weather zones with the highest risk were the Seville countryside, which, with 51 days at risk Level 1 or above, accumulated nine days at Level 3; the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley, with 45 days at Level 0 or above and seven days at Level 3; and the Montes de Jaén, which registered the highest accumulation of days at Levels 1 (37) and 2 (14).

The zones with the lowest risk were Cazorla and Segura, in Jaén, with two days at Level 0 or above, and Grazalema (Cadiz) and the Granada coast, with three days at Level 0 or above.

Primary care and hospitals registered 1,304 heat-related emergencies, of which 607 were for heatstrokes and sunstrokes and 697 for other heat-related illnesses. The Andalusian health service included 17,096 vulnerable patients for monitoring during the past summer and carried out 5,089 nursing interventions, both by telephone and at home.

In addition, the Salud Responde service made 90,398 calls to 9,723 patients. The 061 emergency medical service carried out 67 heat-related interventions, 71.6 per cent of which were for syncope, with 48 patients. The Andalusian epidemiological surveillance system received 26 reports concerning heatstrokes, with ten deaths, primarily in the provinces of Cordoba, Seville and Almeria.