Portugal has reported more than 1,000 deaths due to the current heat wave, with the health chief warning on Tuesday that the country must gear up to cope with the effects of climate change as temperatures continue to rise, Reuters reported.

"Portugal ... is among one of the areas of the globe that could be [more] affected by extreme heat," Graca Freitas, head of health authority DGS, told Reuters. "We have to be more and more prepared for periods of high temperatures."

Temperatures across the drought-stricken country surpassed 40 degrees Celsius last week. Although they have dropped in the last few days, Freitas said they remained above normal levels for this time of the year.

Freitas added that the number of fatalities in Portugal has now increased to 1,063 for the period up to Monday