Summary
This page contains information about how to cope during a heatwave.
Links
Heatwave: A guide to looking after yourself and others during hot weather (2008)|
Heatwave: Supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave: advice for health and social care professionals (2008)|
Supporting vulnerable people before and during a heatwave: advice for care home managers and staff (2008)|
Adobe Acrobat's portable document format (pdf). To view these files you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This can be downloaded free at Adobe's web site| [External].
Microsoft (MS) Word documents (doc). To view these files you will need to have MS Word or the MS Word viewer installed on your computer. The MS Word viewer can be downloaded free from Microsoft's web site| [External].
Some report 2006 (doc 159 kb)
Heatwave Advice
Whilst most of us enjoy sunny weather, the extreme heat of a heatwave can be seriously damaging to the health, and can sometimes be fatal. Updated guidance on how to cope in a heatwave has been issued by the Government's health adviser, based on advice warnings from the Met Office|
Who is at risk during a heatwave?
Whilst extreme heat is dangerous to everyone, it is especially so to babies and young children, older people, those living in care homes, and those in certain at-risk groups.
When temperatures remain abnormally high over more than a couple of days, excessive heat can prove fatal. In one hot spell in London in August 2003, deaths among people aged over 75 rose by 60 per cent.
The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said: "Although severe heatwaves are uncommon in England, the experience across Northwest Europe in 2003 is a reminder that heat can be fatal or, at the very least, can cause unnecessary discomfort.
"However, with the effects of climate change taking place, the frequency and temperatures of heatwaves are predicted to increase over time. During relatively mild heatwaves, excess death rates are significantly, but avoidably, higher in this country. Timely preventive measures can reduce these excess rates.
"The elderly are particularly vulnerable and it is important that those aged over 75, especially those who live alone or in care homes, take precautions to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
"If you care for people who could be at risk during a heatwave, it's important that you plan ahead - taking action in advance can help reduce the number of excess deaths from heat. Proper preparedness is of the essence."
How to cope with a heatwave
Health experts say it takes just two consecutive days of heatwave temperatures to have a significant effect on health. Heatwaves can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion or heat stroke, which can then cause irreversible damage to various organs in the body and even lead to death.
Measures that everyone can take to protect their own health are set out in the leaflet 'Protecting health and reducing harm from extreme heat and heatwaves' |(pdf file)
Key Advice
Plan your day so you stay out of the heat
Avoid going out between 11am and 3pm - the hottest part of the day
If you go out, stay in the shade, wear a hat and light, loose clothes
Carry water
Take cool showers or baths - splash yourself with cold water, particularly your face and the back of your neck
Eat cold foods, particularly salads and fruit with a high water content
Look after older people. They are much more prone to the effects of heat. If you have older relatives or neighbours, check on them if possible every day and remind them to drink plenty and often. Help them to keep their house as cool as possible, drawing curtains, opening windows at night, or using a fan, if necessary.
Heatwave Alerts
A Heat-Health Watch system, running from 1 June to 15 September and based on Met Office forecasts, will trigger levels of response from the Department of Health and other bodies.
This monitoring system will trigger one of four levels of alert:-
Green - Awareness – summer preparedness and long term planning
Amber – Alert and Readiness – 60% risk of heatwave in three days
Red – Heatwave Action– heatwave temperatures reached in one or more regions
Red Emergency – Emergency - severe and prolonged heatwave