A heat wave in southern Europe generates health warnings for residents and tourists

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italian health authorities are intensifying heat warnings as southern Europe enters a brutally hot week. Italy’s Ministry of Health urged people to stay indoors during the hottest hours and to drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day, and it advised regions to beef up house-call services so older people don’t have to go out if they need medical care. As Rome braced for temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius C (107 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, the Italian capital’s civil protection office, volunteers and officials from the local water company planned to distribute bottled water at 28 key locations. Countries with borders on the Mediterranean Sea weren’t alone in suffering.