Health impact assessment for mortality associated with high temperatures in Cyprus

Climate change is associated with extreme temperatures that can have severe effects on public health, in the form of heat-related mortality. In the present paper we perform a health impact assessment for mortality associated with extreme weather in Cyprus, during the months of April-September for the 6-year period between 2004–2009. Additionally, we estimate the potential health effects of higher summer temperatures, in line with climate change projections. The health impact assessment indicates a significant number of heat-related deaths, as well as a rapid increase in mortality for given temperature rise. Specifically, for an increase of 1°C over the baseline temperatures, heat-related mortality doubles, while for a 5 °C increase, mortality is almost 800% the baseline. It is estimated that these results can provide the necessary basis for linking accurate forecasts of extreme events with effective public health measures and interventions.