(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has reminded people, especially children, to continue to take precautions and safeguard themselves against heat exhaustion and stroke throughout the hottest summer months.
Dr. Khalid Al Ansari, Director, Paediatric Emergency Services, HMC, advised that since most schools are closed and children are interested in playing outdoors, most of their activities should be limited to air-conditioned or shaded areas.
He stressed that children should not be left by themselves in cars parked in the sun as doing so poses one of the greatest risks of heat stroke.
'Some parents tend to leave their children unattended in vehicles parked in the sun without realising that the time required for anyone to get heat exhaustion or stroke in the car is much lesser than if the person is sitting outside in the sun,” he said, adding children under four years are at a higher risk of heat stroke and exhaustion when they go out in the hot weather as they cannot perspire actively like adults.
'If you park your car in the sun for around 10 minutes, the temperature inside can rise by up to 10 degrees Celsius. It gets higher as time passes by.
'If a child is left in a vehicle, he/she can easily develop heat exhaustion and that can result in heat stroke, which can be life-threatening,” Dr. Al Ansari said.
'If parents need to do something outside their vehicles, they should always take their children with them. If there are adults attending to children, it";s okay, provided that the AC is turned on,” he said, adding 'leaving children unattended with the AC on in the car is equally dangerous”.
'Carbon-monoxide from the car exhaust can come out through the AC vents and whoever is in the vehicle can suffocate from carbon-monoxide poisoning,” Dr. Al Ansari warned.
Dr. Al Ansari explained that the danger signs of heat illnesses to look out for are dizziness, tiredness, muscles cramps, difficulty in breathing and racing heart rate.
'The action to take in this situation is to get the affected child out of the hot area. Take him or her to an air-conditioned area. Have them lie down, and start providing them with plenty of cold fluids to cool down,” he suggested.
He noted that it will be helpful to remove thicker clothes and leave only light clothing on while also applying cold compresses on the body as needed in order to bring the temperature down gradually.
'Usually within 30 to 45 minutes the person should feel better. If the heat exhaustion continues and those symptoms described were not attended to promptly, the heat exhaustion will become heat stroke with body temperature reaching as high as 40 degrees or more,” he warned.
Dr. Al Ansari explained that the patient might start losing consciousness, experience fainting, and seizure activity and can even go into a coma.
'If that continues, the blood pressure will drop and the person can die,” he emphasized while noting it is better to dial 999 in cases of emergency to seek professional help,” Dr. Al Ansari added.
The Peninsula