France recalls rare disease drug Tavneos after deaths

France has recorded over 7,300 excess deaths so far this year due to historically hot summer conditions, health authorities announced on Wednesday. This figure includes 1,243 more deaths reported between July 2 and 22, in addition to 5,764 excess deaths from June 17 to 30 and 300 deaths identified during May's high temperatures.

In total, 7,307 extra deaths have been recorded, with nearly three-quarters of them affecting people aged 75 and over, although individuals aged 45 and above were also impacted. The excessive heatwaves, spanning a record 52 days since mid-June, have affected all age groups. The country experienced three consecutive heatwaves in June, July, and late July, resulting in 52 heatwave days since mid-June.

This surpasses the 33 heatwave days recorded in 2022 and the 22 days observed during the deadly summer of 2003. Western Europe experienced its hottest start to summer on record, with drought and devastating wildfires contributing to the extreme conditions. Meteo-France defines a national heatwave as a period with significantly higher temperatures than normal, lasting several days.

The heatwave that began in late July is now the second-longest recorded nationwide, just short of the 23-day heatwave in July 1983. France has seen more heatwave days in 2026 than any other year since records began in 1947, with June 24 and 25 setting the highest average temperature ever recorded across mainland France.