Inside EU Health: WHO/Europe on heatwave; Salmonella; pharma leads high-tech production

WHO Europe says current heatwave is ‘dress rehearsal’ for hotter summers

The World Health Organization/Europe (WHO) has warned that the heatwaves sweeping Europe are a preview of hotter summers to come and has urged governments to strengthen preparedness.

“Across the WHO European Region right now, people are struggling to sleep. Emergency rooms are filling up. Ambulance services are breaking records. In France, emergency medical calls have risen by up to 50% in some cities. In London, last week saw the highest number of life-threatening emergency calls the ambulance service has ever recorded in a single day,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, outlining the pressures placed on healthcare systems.

Kluge said the European Region is warming more than twice as fast as the global average, making heatwaves more frequent and intense. However, he stressed that prevention measures, including heat-health action plans, early warning systems, cooling centres and support for vulnerable people, are already saving lives.

WHO/Europe will convene member states on 6 July to assess lessons from the current heatwave. More than half of countries in the region still lack comprehensive heat-health action plans.

Salmonella cases in 13 EU countries linked to instant noodles

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have linked 106 Salmonella cases reported between November 2025 and June 2026, in 13 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries and the United Kingdom, to a particular brand of chicken-flavoured and hot chicken-flavoured instant noodles. The outbreak has resulted in at least 49 hospitalisations.  

Cases were reported in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 

Epidemiological investigations found that cases in Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania were linked by the same product, with further microbiological studies supporting the link. Other strains of Salmonella have been detected in products of the same brand, suggesting that more than one contamination source may be involved. The product has been recalled and the agencies have urged caution, but have not named the brand identified. 

Pharmaceuticals lead the EU’s high-tech production in 2024

The European Union sold €414 billion worth of high-tech products in 2024, with pharmaceuticals emerging as the sector’s largest contributor, according to the latest edition of Eurostat ‘Key figures on European business '.

Pharmaceutical products accounted for 29.1% of the total value of the EU’s high-tech sold production, highlighting the industry's central role in Europe’s advanced manufacturing base. The sector outperformed other major high-tech industries, including electronics and telecommunications (23.1%) and scientific instruments (20.8%).