Heat on the Street

Not many would have imagined that surviving this summer could be tricky business. With floods, accidents, terrorism and recession playing musical chair on our media screens; the current heat wave has been a wild card entrant. Even the PMO has stopped looking to the right or left, and joined the weathermen and astrologers in looking up at the skies to spot the elusive monsoon.

                     This long hot spell, when the sun is baking the earth and the mercury jumping up to create new records, is posing major challenges to health and life. Its effects on our bodies are due to drying up (called dehydration; remember that 2/3 of our body is made up of water) or excess body heating (called heat or sun stroke due to the body’s thermostat failing to maintain our temperatures around 37⁰C), both being potentially dangerous to life.

                        Dehydration is the commoner one, and according to the American College of Sports Medicine, claims around 2 million lives every year, especially from developing regions. Children are more susceptible, and once grossly dehydrated, often find it impossible to regain health. Symptoms and signs inclde fatigue, headache, low BP, dizziness, fainting, dry mouth and reduced amounts of urine that is usually dark yellow. It is often precipitated by an attack of vomiting or loose motions. Drinking large amounts of water (around 6-15 glasses a day) and increasing the intake of salt (through pickles, papads, salted nimbu paani or lassi) are the cornerstones of prevention and treatment. It is important that children be always hydrated; if not, growth and development could be affected. Luckily children usually have intense thirst sensation; the trick is to help them develop a liking for water and not juices, or softdrink.

                     Heatstroke is common during these dry hot spells when the body’s heat regulatory mechanism fails to maintain a balance between heat production and heat loss (losing it to from the 37⁰C of the body to the 46⁰C of the atmosphere could well be impossible at times!). As a result the body temperature rises causing the person to be pale, hot, irritable, confused or unconscious. Children and elderly are at greatest risk, as are athletes, construction workers, labourers or miliatary recruits. It is a medical emergency and requires moving the person to a cool shade, lying him down on the floor or ground, pouring water on the head and body, placing ice cubes under the armpits and moving him to a clinic or hospital. Caps, sunglasses, wearing loose cotton clothing and avoiding anti-perspirants help.

                     It is not without valid reasons that sensible Babus order closure of schools during these periods. If they could alter the timings of stone cutters, labourers and construction workers to the cooler mornings and evenings, and provide them respite from the mid-day exposure to heat, it would be great service to these more deserving members of our society (are our netas listening?).   

Tail piece

A 10 year old, waiting with his mother at the Charbagh Railway station for their train at 3 PM, was heard complaining, “You had promised me a great vacation. This is so hot and terrible!”. Mother: “ I thought you liked adventure, my dear. This is it”. The little one put on a brave look and stopped fretting.

As published in HT City ( Hindustan Times) dated 28 june , 2009.