Headlines - Closure of the 2012 Heat Wave and Health Alert System.

August 31 of each year marks the end of the Heat Wave and Health Alert System (SACS). Initiated and coordinated since 2004 by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) in close collaboration with Météo-France, SACS is part of the National Heat Wave Plan (PNC) and is activated on June 1 of each year. It is based on the daily monitoring of meteorological and health indicators. This summer, France experienced a heat wave from August 16 to 22 that affected 33 departments.In Poitou-Charentes, the departments of Charente (on national recommendation), Charente-Maritime, and Deux-Sèvres (by prefectural decision) were placed under the “Warning and Action” (MIGA) level from 4:00 PM on August 17 to 4:00 PM on August 20.Analysis of health data from the day after the alert through today shows no significant changes in emergency room visits for all causes, nor in mortality recorded by the region’s computerized municipalities. However, there was a significant increase in emergency room visits in the region for heat-related conditions (hyperthermia and heatstroke, dehydration, and hyponatremia) on August 18, with 20 visits for these conditions, including 11 among those aged 75 and older, with the majority of cases (13 out of 20) recorded in Vienne.