By Lucy Caulkett-
The Met Office and Public Health England have today upgraded their heatwave alerts for western regions of England and extended the current alerts through to the middle of next week.
The alert is directed at adults over 65s, young children, and those with heart and lung conditions can all find normal activities a strain when temperatures get this high. High temperatures, indoors and outdoors can also pose a risk to everyone’s health over such a sustained period.
Brits all over the England have been basking in one of the hottest summers in decades, an extra bonus being the fact it is occurring in the middle of the world cup.
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The hot weather has now been in place for 2 weeks and GP surgeries have reported a sharp increase in the number of people attending and calling NHS 111 for heat related conditions such as sunburn, sunstroke, heatstroke and insect bites.
Dr Thomas Waite of PHE said:
While many of us will be enjoying the hot weather over the next few days, for some it can pose a real health risk. So it is critically important that we keep an eye on friends, family and neighbours who may be at risk.
To stay cool, avoid the sun during the hottest parts of the day, carry water with you when travelling and think what you can do stay cool when going to large events.
It’s also worth remembering to think about practical steps to keep your home cool during the day as this can aid sleeping at night and give the body time to recover from the heat. Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors.
Heatwave temperatures across the country have prompted PHE to again warn people to look out for those most at-risk in the summer sun. Coping in very hot weather can be a challenge for very young children and old people above the age of 65 years of age. Those who suffer from hay fever also struggle to handle rising temperatures , making summers like these which we all enjoy, unbearable for them.
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The over 65s, young children and those with heart and lung conditions can all find normal activities a strain when temperatures get this high. That’s why PHE is today (Tuesday 26 June 2018) urging people to keep an eye out for anyone they know who may be at risk.
Dr Thomas Waite of PHE said:
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We know that when weather like this hits, many people will head outdoors and make the most of the sunshine – but for others, temperatures like these, over more than a day or 2, can be really uncomfortable and pose a significant risk to health.
This is because their bodies may struggle to adapt to working harder, as all our bodies do when the weather gets this hot, and they can become ill.
It’s vitally important that we keep an eye on friends, family and neighbours who may be at risk, and chances are we’ll all know someone if we’re all going to stay well this summer.
For others, the best thing to do is avoid the sun during the hottest parts of the day, carry water with you when travelling and if going out to large events, and we know lots of people will be watching football this week, think what you can do stay cool. It’s also worth remembering to think about keeping homes cool as this can aid sleeping at night and give the body time to recover from the heat of the day.