With the current high temperatures expected to continue into next month, the island’s Chief Medical Officer has urged Barbadians to take necessary precautions to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
These measures, Dr The Most Honourable Kenneth George said, include staying hydrated, staying indoors where possible, and dressing to stay cool.
He explained that the physiology of the body is such that while it could accommodate high temperatures by releasing sweat as a cooling mechanism, if temperatures rose severely the body’s core temperature would also rise.
Once that reaches above 40 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes, people usually start to experience heat exhaustion which can then lead to heat stroke, Dr George explained.
He added that symptoms were usually minor at first but could “scale up” over a short period of time.
“Basically, what happens is that it is a slow and progressive failure of the body to compensate when in a prolonged situation…. Persons may experience headaches, fast heart rates, feeling generally unwell, a feeling of thirst, and dizziness and that may progress to fainting if in a prolonged heat situation. And then later, the unfortunate outcome is that you start to get organ failure, where the body is not able to compensate anymore,” the CMO said.
Fortunately, he said, there were several measures people could take to prevent this from happening, including staying hydrated.
An individual requires between three and three and a half litres of water per day but with the current temperatures, Dr George advised that a person may consume up to four to five litres of fluid daily.
Other steps to beat the heat include remaining indoors when possible and avoiding exercise and other outdoor activities when the sun is at its hottest, between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m; wearing light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing; drinking cool water instead of ice-cold water to quench thirst; avoiding sugary beverages and limiting the consumption of alcohol which worsen the symptoms of heat exhaustion by causing dehydration.
Alcohol is also a diuretic and makes the kidneys pass more fluids, the CMO explained.
He acknowledged that there were some categories of workers who could not avoid being outdoors and, therefore, recommended that they take short breaks in cool areas when exposed to the sun.
He also advised people not to over-exert themselves, which could add to the symptoms of heat exhaustion.
Special attention should be paid to certain groups such as the elderly and children, during this time, the CMO added.
“For children under six months, breastfeeding alone is still only recommended. You have to breastfeed much more frequently. And for the elderly, it is important that some younger folks check in on them regularly, making sure that they have access to cool water during the day,” he emphasised.
Dr George also offered advice on what to do if someone is exhibiting signs of heat stress.
“The treatment, in severe cases, is to bring down the core temperature of the body to an acceptable range and that needs to be done quickly. If a person has fainted outdoors, while you wait for the ambulance all attempts should be made to cool that individual. This can be done by placing cold packs on their chest and forehead or placing a wet towel to try to bring down the temperature,” he advised.
The post Barbadians offered advice to avoid heat stroke appeared first on Barbados Today.