The public health institute Sciensano has revised its assessment of excess mortality recorded across Belgium following the heatwave that impacted the country in late June and early July. The updated figures indicate that the nation experienced approximately 2,000 excess deaths, a significant increase from the preliminary estimate released the previous week. This revision adjusts the overall excess mortality rate to 48 percent, substantially higher than the initial reported figure of 1,747 excess deaths.
Sciensano attributed the upward revision to the inclusion of late death registrations and the expansion of the analysis period by two additional days. The institute noted that elevated mortality rates persisted even after the immediate heatwave period concluded, leading to the revised data set covering the period from June 18 through July 3. According to the institute’s findings, the impact of the heightened mortality was not uniform across all regions.
Wallonia was identified as the most severely affected area. Following in terms of impact were the Brussels-Capital Region and Flanders. The updated data provides a more comprehensive picture of the health toll, confirming that the number of excess deaths was more substantial than initially calculated, providing key data for public health planning across Belgium.
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