Severe heat spell hits twin cities

Rawalpindi

A severe heat spell has hit population in this region of the country which may pose serious threats to people's health, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, heat cramps and sunburn if individuals do not take necessary preventive measures well in time to avoid heat-related problems.

The severe heat spell is expected to prevail in the region at least for two weeks and according to health experts, if people do not take extra care, both the public and private sector healthcare facilities would be receiving a much heavier burden of patients with heat-related disorders.

Public sector hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and allied hospitals have already started receiving significant number of patients with heat related health threats.

Health experts say that if people do not take preventive measures in time, the situation may become out of control with further rise in mercury level in next few days as is being expected.

Heat stroke, heat syncope and heat exhaustion are life threatening health hazards particularly in cases of chronic patients, elderly people and children and people must take preventive measures to avoid these, said Medical superintendent at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

It is important that nearly 50 per cent of the total patients reaching healthcare facilities these days are with summer related health threats and majority of these patients are children below 12 years of age and elderly people.

The most important thing at the time is to create awareness among public on how to avoid health threats, the severe heat spell poses, said Dr. Mir while responding to a query. He said people should avoid going outside particularly during the hottest hours of the day from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.

He said majority of our population is unaware of the complications, the heat wave poses. Individuals must be aware of the fact that high temperatures may cause ceasing of the cardiac activity, he said.

Experts say that people should be aware of the warning signs of heat exhaustion that include impaired consciousness, prolonged durations of sleep, restlessness and irritability, thunderclap headache, blurring of vision, tremors and fits and scanty dark urine in decreased quantity.

Health experts suggest that people who have to work in hot environment or under the sun should take plenty of water and ORS if needed. To avoid rise in core body temperature, people need to take slight cold water frequently and take bath between working intervals whenever possible. Dr. Mir said that people must avoid heat currents and when going outside during the hottest hours of the day, they should keep wet towel on the head to keep body temperature normal.

He, like other health experts, say that to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke, lightweight, light-coloured and loose-fitting clothes should be put on and black, dark green, red and blue coloured clothes should be avoided. Direct exposure to sun should be avoided and a hat or umbrella should be used for protection from sun while outside. Sunglasses should also be used and try to avoid spending time outdoors unnecessarily during hottest hours of the day, said Dr. Mir.

Head of Paediatrics Department at Rawalpindi Medical College and allied hospitals Professor Dr. Rai Muhammad Asghar has expressed to ‘The News’ that parents must be aware of the aspects of summer related health threats to safeguard their children from life-threatening situations.

He said symptoms of heat exhaustion in children include headache followed by vomiting and fever along with body pains. Such patients should be given plenty of clean drinking water and taken to the nearest healthcare facility at the soonest as these patients might lead to heatstroke that may leave a patient unconscious.

The greatest symptom of heatstroke is that the body stops sweating and body temperature rises to above 105 degree centigrade. Patients with these complaints must be taken to a hospital immediately otherwise the problem might be fatal, said Dr. Rai.

He suggested that during the severe heat spells, exposure to sun should be avoided as much as possible and if it is necessary to take a child outside at day-time, his or her body and head must be covered properly.