public health

The 2026 report by The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change reveals that many of the health risks and harms arising from climate change increased more rapidly in the decade since the signing of the Paris Agreement (2016–2025) than in the previous decade (2006–2015). The report, which draws on the work of 146 researchers from more than 30 countries, calls for climate change to be officially recognised and addressed as a global health emergency, and for health to set the agenda for both climate policies and funding priorities.

More than 50,000 people died as a result of extreme heat in European towns and cities during the summer of 2026 – the highest figure recorded to date – according to two new studies published in Nature Health. After analysing 854 urban areas across 30 countries (the EU-27, the United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland), researchers from Imperial College and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (United Kingdom) have concluded that climate change resulting from the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for two-thirds of these deaths. The five countries most affected were, in this order, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the UK. According to these studies, 6,824 people died from heat-related causes in Spain this summer, of whom 77 per cent can be attributed to climate change.

A study carried out by the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR) has estimated the proportion of passive smokers in Spain in 2024. The study allows for a comparison of trends with three previous editions and, for the first time, includes information on non-smokers’ exposure to smoke on outdoor terraces, as well as to e-cigarette products. The results indicate that exposure has stopped falling and appear to show, for the first time in the data series, an upward trend in the number of passive smokers. Bar terraces are identified as the main location of exposure. The study is published in the journal Tobacco Control, part of the BMJ group.

The journal Tobacco Control has published a study on the proportion of passive smokers in Spain in 2024, which allows for a comparison with three previous editions and, for the first time, includes information on non-smokers’ exposure to smoke on outdoor terraces, as well as to e-cigarette products. The study, carried out by the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR), shows, for the first time in the data series, an upward trend in the number of passive smokers. Bar terraces are identified as the main location of exposure. Three of the authors explained the main findings and their recommendations at a briefing organised by SMC Spain.

Pain does not increase linearly with age; rather, the most pronounced increases occur before the age of 55. This is the main conclusion of a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, which included Spanish participation and analyzed data from more than six million people aged five to over 100 in 118 countries. Across all areas of the body, the prevalence of pain increased most sharply before age 55. Headaches and abdominal pain peaked at an earlier age, while back, hip, and knee pain continued to increase with age.

A study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters estimates that babies born in Spain in 2025 will experience 7.3 more years of extreme weather conditions conducive to wildfires. The exposure for their grandparents, born in 1950, will be half that figure: 3.7 additional years. According to the authors, the vast majority of this increase is due to climate change rather than rising life expectancy. Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, in line with the Paris Agreement, would reduce Spanish young people’s lifetime exposure to these conditions by more than a year, compared with current policies.

The arrival of thousands of migrants in Ceuta at the end of July has led to the emergence of messages portraying these people as a health threat. However, the scientific evidence points to exactly the opposite: those arriving in our country are, generally speaking, in good health, and it is they – not the local population – who are at greatest risk of falling ill, due to the conditions in which they are forced to live. In the face of fear and misinformation, the best defence is transparent, data-driven information.

Among the migrants who have been in Ceuta for several weeks, there are confirmed or suspected cases of tuberculosis, chickenpox, scabies and gastroenteritis. Specialists in public health, epidemiology and infectious diseases explain to SMC España the basic recommendations that must be followed when providing care for this population.

A study led by the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII) shows that, between 2013 and 2018, on days when fires were recorded, there was an increase in A&E admissions for respiratory problems in nine Spanish provinces. At a briefing organised by SMC Spain, Cristina Linares and Julio Díaz, the study’s authors and researchers at the ISCIII, explained the implications of the research and called for a surveillance plan, alongside the monitoring of these harmful particles and compounds, in the face of increasingly severe wildfires.

A team from Canada analyzed nearly one million emergency room visits for migraines or headaches that occurred between 2010 and 2023 in two Canadian provinces during the peak wildfire season. Their analysis shows that the presence of small particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke was associated with an increase in emergency room visits for migraines and headaches. The study is published in JAMA Network Open. In Spain, the Ministry of Health has published health recommendations for action in the event of wildfires. The Community of Madrid, with several active fire fronts, has shared this video with safety and protection tips.