Even animals need to cool down from the summer heat. Hear, a Cebu City Zoo worker sprays water on a Philippine Hornbill Hawk whose diet has been bolstered with water mixed with dextrose powder to keep it hydrated. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
To beat the summer heat, drink at least eight glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration. Better yet stay indoors as much as possible, health authorities said yesterday.
“The best way to avoid heatstroke is to drink plenty of water. Pasilong ka, magdala ka og paypay, magdala ka og kalo. Kon di gyud malikayan nga magbuwad sa init, kon mahimo di lang gyud magpalabi og bulad sa init (Seek shade, bring a fan and a cap. If you cannot avoid it, limit your exposure under the sun),” Dr. Joanri Riveral, medical technologist of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
He said symptoms of heatstroke include turning red in the face and nosebleed.
Riveral said temperatures usually rise at 10 a.m to 2 p.m and people should stay indoors to avoid getting heatstroke.
Riveral added wearing light-colored and comfortable clothes helps in keeping cool.
Exposure
The state weather bureau Pagasa said they recorded a temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius last Black Saturday, the highest so far this month.
The warmest temperature recorded by Pagasa in Cebu was 37 degrees Celsius on May 31, 2007.
Engr. Al Quiblat, Pagasa Mactan’s chief meteorologist, said people should limit their exposure under the sun to 20 minutes.
Riveral said they haven’t recorded any incidents of heatstroke and refuted reports of a 10-year-old girl who died on arrival at a hospital after being found unconscious outside a hotel.
He said a person will be more vulnerable to suffer heatstroke if he or she has an underlying condition like high blood pressure and heart ailment.