Health dept issues heat advisory for citizens

Hyderabad: In the wake of extreme heat conditions, with high temperatures and dry spell, the Health department has issued an advisory for the citizens to be cautious and take precautions. It also issued ‘dos’ and ‘don'ts’.

According to the advisory, issued by the Director of Public Health B Ravinder Naik, the citizens have been asked to stay hydrated drinking sufficient water as and when possible, even when they are not thirsty. They have been asked to use Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), and consume homemade drinks, like lemon water, butter milk / lassi with some added salts, fruit juices.

The citizens have been asked to carry water during travel, eat seasonal fruits and vegetables with high water content, like water melon, musk melon, orange, grapes, pineapple,

cucumber, lettuce or other locally available fruits and vegetables, stay covered, wearing thin loose cotton garments preferably light colored, covering head, using umbrellas, hats, caps, towels and other traditional headgears during exposure to sunlight. If going outdoor, limit outdoor activity to cooler times of the day--morning and evening.

Although anyone at any time can suffer from heat stress and heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others and should be given additional attention.

These include infants and children; people working outdoors, pregnant women, people who have a mental illness, ill, especially with heart disease or high BP.

The citizens have been asked to avoid getting out in the sun, especially between noon and 3 pm, avoid strenuous activities when outside in the afternoon, not to go out barefoot, and avoid cooking during peak summer

hours. Open doors and windows to ventilate cooking area adequately, avoid alcohol, tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks or drinks with large amount of sugar, as these actually lead to loss of more body-fluid or may cause stomach cramps;

avoid high-protein food and do not eat stale food, don’t leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

Seek immediate medical attention from nearby government health facilities if any of symptoms like altered mental sensorium with disorientation: confusion and agitation, irritability, ataxia, seizure and coma, hot, red and dry skin, body temperature 40 degrees C or 104 F, throbbing headache, anxiety, dizziness, fainting and light headedness, muscle weakness or cramps, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, shallow breathing.