A cold-weather contingency plan could be created in Portugal said a spokesman for the country’s health authority.
Freezing temperatures such as the ones felt early this week have killed a dozen elderly people in the Lisbon area alone.
Children and the elderly are the most affected by the low temperatures, which, according to health specialists, kill more than heat waves.
In 2009, 1,500 people died in the winter in Portugal because of cold weather and the flu.
