The continued spell of high temperature in plain areas of Uttarakhand has increased people falling prey to many diseases like heat stroke, skin and eye infection.
Heat stroke is a condition triggered by combined effect of heat and humidity when the cooling mechanism of the body fails and its temperature rises abruptly.
The doctors describe heatstroke as a condition caused by overheating of the body usually due to prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperature. Generally physicians call a person suffering from heatstroke when his/ her body temperature rises to 1040 F or 40 0 Centigrade. Heatstroke requires emergency treatment as it can quickly damage brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. The damage worsens the longer treatment is delayed, increasing the risk of serious complications or even death.
The Senior Physician, Dr Pravin Panwar said that the best defence against heat stroke is drinking plenty of water and other things which are liquid. He suggested that one should avoid going out during day time to evade the furry of sun. The symptoms of the disease are high body temperature, altered mental state like confusion, irritability and slurred speech, alteration in sweating, nausea, vomiting, rosy skin, rapid breathing, high pulse rate and severe headache. “The best way is to get out of the heat quickly and rest in a cool shady place. One should drink plenty of water or other fluids containing sugar and salt. Avoid alcohol as it can further aggravate the condition,’’ Dr Panwar said.
The children and elderly are more susceptible to the heat stroke. Child Specialist, Dr N S Khatri said that infants do not know to hydrate themselves or move out of a heated place so it up to their parents to ensure that they drink plenty of water and are kept in cool places. He warned that the little children should not be kept bundled up in clothes and should be kept in cool shady place during day time.
The head of department of Ophthalmology, Dr Sushil Kumar Ojha said that high temperature increases the instances of disease like eye flu and dryness in the eyes. He suggested that people should avoid direct exposure to sun for long duration. The eye specialist advised people to remain hydrated these days.
Skin specialist, Dr Anil Arya said that chances of skin becoming reddened and sun burn increases on exposure to direct sunlight during summers. He suggested that one should cover exposed body parts with cotton cloths to minimise the effect of sunlight on skin.