Health dept issues heatwave advisory as mercury soars

Hyderabad: With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a heat-wave alert (yellow) and forecasting dry spell with temperatures soaring to a maximum of 43 degrees Celsius, the Health department has issued advisory for the citizens on ‘dos’ and ‘don'ts’.

According to advisory issued by the Director of Public Health B Ravinder Naik, the citizens are to stay hydrated drinking sufficient water as and when possible, even when they are not thirsty. They are 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, muskmelon, 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, towel and other traditional headgears during exposure to sunlight. If going outdoor, limit activity to cooler times of the day i.e., morning and evening’.

‘Although anyone at any time can suffer heat stress and heat-related illness, some are at greater risk than others and should be given additional attention. They include infants and children; people working outdoors, pregnant women, those with mental Illness, ill, especially with heart disease or high BP’. ‘The citizens have been asked to avoid getting out in sun, especially between noon and 3 pm, avoid strenuous activities when out 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; don’t eat stale food, don’t leave children or pets in parked vehicles’.

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