Don’t know how to handle this heat? Here are a few tips
Take a look here if you're wondering how to handle the heat we're experiencing.
It’s summer holiday time in Pretoria and if you’ve been paying attention to the weather, you’ll know that we’re in one of South Africa’s hottest summers.
Residents should be prepared against the current heatwave conditions moving through the region.
Many reports have warned that the heat will be with us for quite some time and might even return a few times after it has subsided.
Excessive heat could be life-threatening for children, adults exercising outdoors, people with respiratory diseases, elderly people and those with disabilities or diseases like epilepsy in particular.
Heat exhaustion occurs when the body cools itself by sweating. Should sweating be insufficient to meet the cooling demands of the body, heat-related illnesses can occur.
These heat-related illnesses are presented with minor symptoms such as heat rash, which progresses to heat cramps, then heat exhaustion and finally heat stroke — a life-threatening condition.
Dehydration occurs when excessive sweating causes loss of water, which leads to muscle cramps, weakness, nausea and vomiting. Such a condition makes it difficult to drink enough fluid to replenish the body’s water supply.
The lack of body water impairs further sweating, evaporation and cooling. Heat exhaustion presents symptoms such as profuse sweating, weakness, muscle cramps, headache, nausea and vomiting.
Relative humidity is another important factor to consider when developing heat exhaustion. If humidity is too high, sweat on the skin cannot evaporate and the body cannot cool down.
Tshwane metro recommends the following precautionary measures and tips on how to treat someone with heat exhaustion.
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