Health Alert Issued as Heatwave Set to Continue
Date: 04-Jul-06
Country: UK
London and the southeast is forecast to bake again on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures rising up to 31 degrees centigrade (88F), but by Wednesday the weather should be cooling with the possibility of thundery rain.
On Sunday, temperatures rose to over 32 degrees in London but further north there was flash flooding in Manchester following torrential downpours.
The Department of Health issued a heatwave alert over the weekend as part of planning introduced after the exceptionally hot weather of August 2003 in which 27,000 people died of heat-related causes in northwestern Europe, 15,000 of them in France.
The plan calls for health officials to issue public advice on how to stay cool, contact care homes, and monitor at-risk individuals such as the disabled living at home.
During the hot spell, older people and the young are at risk of suffering heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heatstroke, the health department warned in a public awareness leaflet.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting.
Heatstroke can develop if these symptoms are untreated, but can also occur without warning.
The condition can spark intense thirst, confusion, convulsions and loss of consciousness, and can result in irreversible brain damage or death.
The leaflet advises people to drink water or fruit juice regularly and avoid alcohol, tea and coffee, which make dehydration worse.