The Heat Is On

CEBU, Philippines - Okay, okay, we have rains these past two days or so. Hence you might think there’s no reason to be talking about heat. But, hey, we’re in that time of the year when everybody traditionally sprints out into the open – to the beach or the great outdoors – to beat the heat.

The weatherman says summer is here. The quick visit of typhoon Crising does not change the season. And so it may be timely after all to think about summer and the heat that comes with it.

These past years, it’s been becoming like summer goes on all year round. This is especially so in our part of the globe – the tropics. Global warming, experts call it.

For now, for all intents and purposes, summer is upon the country. Despite the intermittent light showers and cloudiness, the sunny season is ‘officially’ here. Yes, officially, the heat is on.

Perhaps as a way of diverting attention from the discomfort the heat brings, people think up fun activities to take advantage of the dry time. But the heat season has another side. There are ailments that commonly emerge during the hot days.

Heat-related illnesses can occur as a result of heat exposure. And these don’t have to take long summer days to develop. Even short periods of exposure to high temperatures can cause serious health problems, various conditions ranging from minor illnesses to life-threatening medical emergencies.

The heat waves with unusually high temperatures that summer brings can last for days and sometimes weeks. And so it’s no wonder that heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), and heat rash are so common during summer. These medical conditions shall not be taken lightly – there have been many cases of death resulting from heat-related illness.

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 7,415 deaths due to heat-related illness in the United States from 1999 to 2010, or an average of approximately 618 deaths per year. Heat waves lead to more deaths annually in the United States than tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes combined. In the summer of 1980, a severe heat wave hit the United States, and reportedly about 1,700 people lost their lives from heat-related illness; and in the summer of 2003, tens of thousands of people died in Europe from an extreme heat wave.

Okay, people in the U.S. may have low endurance to ambient heat because of their prevalent cold weather. Yet given the fact that summers these days have grown much warmer, even people in tropical countries, like the Philippines, should be wary. In general, high temperatures put people at risk.

It helps to keep in mind that exposure to heat can cause overheating of the body, a medical condition called hyperthermia. Many other heat-related medical conditions can occur as a result of heat exposure.

Aside from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, and heat rash, exposure to heat can also bring on headache, nausea, weakness, dizziness, seizures, confusion and even coma. The immediate response to any heat-related illness should be to move the affected person out of the hot environment, implementing cooling measures as needed, rest, and rehydration.

Again, the cliché “Prevention is better than cure” applies here. And prevention of heat-related illness is best accomplished through proper planning and preparation, such as increasing fluid intake, wearing appropriate clothing and sunscreen, remaining in a cool environment, acclimating oneself to the hot environment – and using common sense. The body usually sends early signals when it is getting into a state of distress – signals like deep thirst and feeling unusually warm inside shall never be ignored.