The community reinforces the effects of heat and health information.

-up to the 15 of September will be operating the Plan of prevention of the effects of heat

Madrid, August of 2011- the community of Madrid has strengthened the information directed to the citizen to adopt preventive measures to minimize the effects of high temperatures on health with distribution since last July in the centros de salud de la Comunidad de Madrid of brochureson 4 August presented the director-general of primary care, Antonio Alemany.

Brochures contain graphically basic advice concerning the desirability of staying hydrated, and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as protect especially infants and the elderly. Also, please avoid doing sport and physical efforts in the hottest hours.

Alemany recalled that in the case that you are taking medication and the patient perceive no common symptoms, consult with your doctor or nurse at the health centre. In any case, it was stressed that any emergencies caused by heat citizen must ask for help on phone 112.

Information the citizen to deal with the effects of the heat is part of Plan of early warning and prevention of the effects on the health of the heat wave that has enabled the community of Madrid until 15 September.

The Prevention Plan is aimed at the most vulnerable to the effects of the heat, who are the elderly, persons with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases and children. This group included elders living alone, with little support socio-familial, sick people or people with disadvantaged socio-economic situation. Also because of their vulnerability, it is directed to the protection of minors.

To facilitate the accessibility of information, the Ministry of health has created a specific web site that includes a temperature newsletter that will inform via icons in the form of Sun of the level of risk along with the prediction of the situation of the four heat days. From this entry on the Internet, anyone interested can subscribe to the service of receipt of such newsletters.

Levels of risk

The Ministry of health has set up different levels of risk taking as reference the value of 36.5 ° C, from which the alert is activated by heat, to the socio-sanitary institutions optimize their resources in anticipation of increased demand of the susceptible population and strengthen their systems of care to olderbasically.

This is the so-called temperature threshold ”, which, according to the studies of the community of Madrid, can cause both direct effects on the heat, the most serious being what is known as heat stroke, as well as indirect effects in elderly and chronically ill. In some cases, the high temperatures alter existing pathologies such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease symptoms.

To cope with the high temperatures, experts from the Ministry of health recommend eating at least two liters of water and liquids, juices or isotonic drinks, but not alcohol to prevent dehydration and protect from the Sun at the maximum insolation hours, avoiding intense sporting activities.

They also advise that if you have been exposed to the Sun or intense heat and presents a table with high fever, skin hot, red, dry, call 112, because they can suffer a heat stroke. If so, it can be a serious situation that requires urgent attention.

On the other hand, those patients with endocrine, heart or lung disease should keep well hydrated and take care of its pharmacological treatment. Similarly, parents should keep well hydrated babies and sites frescoes.