The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

The heat wave now sweeping the country is telling heavily on the health of the people, disrupting their normal activities and slowing down production in the industrial units.

Failing to adjust themselves with unbearable heat, a large number of people have been suffering dehydration and heat stroke. Children, day labourers and elderly people are bearing the major brunt of the sweltering heat for the last couple of days.

People standing in queues for hours before open market sales outlets are also the worst sufferers of heat exhaustion.

The authorities of many schools in Dhaka city have taken precautionary steps to minimise the sufferings of the students from heat wave. Some of them have stopped the routine assembly of students before the start of classes temporarily. Classes in some others have been down to lower floors to save the young students from the scourge of heat.

On a visit to some areas in the city it was found that bitumen on the road has melted under the scorching heat of the sun-creating problem in smooth running of vehicles.

Business and other activities appeared sluggish. Movement of transports was thin in most of the Dhaka streets during the last few days. People by and large prefer to stay inside their houses nowadays because of intense heat and burning sun outside. They are not venturing out of their houses unless it is very essential.

Rickshaw-pullers in Dhaka city were charging higher fares. Many of them declined to carry passengers at the middle of the day because of blazing sun and intense heat.

The sale of cold beverages as well as the fruit juices in roadside stalls has more than doubled in the capital. Green coconuts are selling like hot cakes.

A number of people suffering from heat stroke have been admitted to different clinics and hospitals in the city. Frequent power failure and insufficient water supply have aggravated the problem of all sections of people.

The number of heat stroke and dehydration patients, both children and adults, has sharply increased in the past few days, according to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital sources.

Heat stroke is a form of 'hypothermia' with accompanying physical and neurological symptoms. Unlike heat pain and tiredness, two less severe forms of hypothermia, heat stroke is a true medical emergency that can be fatal if not properly and promptly treated, according to medical experts.

"The symptoms of heat stroke are like those of heart attack, and sometimes a person experiences symptoms of heat exhaustion before progressing to heat-stroke," said Kazi Din Muhammad, a neuro-medicine expert.

Symptoms of heat tiredness may include sickness, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps and pains, and faintness. Many individuals can develop symptoms of heat stroke suddenly and rapidly, without warning.

The heat-stroke patient must receive immediate treatment to avoid permanent organ damage. First and foremost, the victim has to be cooled, said a physician of the DMCH.

Physicians suggested taking the heat stroke victim to a shady area, removing his or her outer clothing, applying cold water to the skin by spraying and fanning the victim to stop sweating. If possible, ice packs should be placed under armpits and groins of the victim, they said.

To prevent the heat overtiredness and heat stroke, drink extra amounts of liquids to replace the body fluids lost through perspiration. Water, fruit juices or fruit-based drinks, such as lemonade or limeade, are preferable to tea, soft drinks and iced tea or coffee, said the medical experts.

People should stay out of the sun as much as possible and keep cool by using fans or opening the windows to let the air circulate, they suggested.