If the first heat wave has just made part of Italy red hot for a few days, in much of the peninsula summer doesn’t seem to have arrived yet. “This year, in the last three weeks, there has been, on average, a reduction in calls to the 118 territorial emergency system of approximately 25% compared to the same period last year. But we are only at the beginning of the summer season”. This was stated to Adnkronos Salute Mario Balzanelli, national president of Sis118, making an initial assessment of the requests for help due to illnesses caused by heat and high humidity. And inviting us not to be caught unprepared when other heat waves cross the Peninsula.
“The winning methodological approach is to predict realistically to prevent effectively. The first golden rule, in these cases, is to take advantage of the experiences gained during previous years, avoiding making the same mistakes – underlines Balzanelli – This is nothing new, for some millennium, that in the summer it is hot, even very hot, or that in the winter it is cold, even very cold. It is rather inappropriate to talk about a ‘heat emergency’ or a ‘cold emergency’ every year, considering that these events are largely predictable. and therefore – in terms of national and regional health planning – necessarily to be foreseen, moreover in time”.
First of all, “it is a question of regulating the responses of the health system in a flexible way, remodulating the organizational paths to ensure, as best as possible, in an integrated operational context, optimal protection of the population in these seasonal situations which are objectively very challenging – he recognizes – with character of a real social threat, particularly in recent years. It is no coincidence that the various 118 systems are strengthened during the summer season, increasing the number of mobile stations, particularly on the coasts and in areas of greater population density also due to hyper-inflows. tourism”. But not only. For Balzanelli, “the premise – indispensable and decisive – for effective management of the dangers related to extreme heat is to actively involve, through training campaigns dedicated and widespread, the population, the entire civil society of the country. Through the acquisition of simple notions of behavioral conduct and their relative implementation during daily activities, the majority of heat-related dramas, emergencies and urgencies are absolutely preventable – he comments – and therefore, frankly, avoidable” .
“In the torrid summer of last year, Sis 118 launched and made public an anti-heat decalogue for the Italian population – recalls Balzanelli – as a useful tool for preventing heat-related illnesses and traumas”. Remodulating that decalogue, here mistakes not to be made “to best protect our health and that of our loved ones in the coming months”.
1. Expose yourself to the sun for prolonged periods of time, in the presence of external temperatures in the shade greater than 35° C, especially between 11.30 am and 5.00 pm. Even more so for children, the elderly and fragile subjects, for whom it is certainly preferable to avoid leaving the house.
2. In case of prolonged exposure to the sun, in the presence of external temperatures in the shade greater than 35° C, do not plan short periods of rest in the shade, of at least 10-15 minutes, and – if possible – choosing to rest in a ventilated place.
3. Do not drink liquids frequently, in the presence of such high temperatures, which, in addition to water, also contain mineral salts, in quantities of at least 3 liters per day (except in patients with serious kidney or heart problems who will have to deal with the doctor).
4. Do not constantly cover your head with a wet hat, preferably white in colour, if exposed for prolonged periods of time to the sun or to temperatures above 35° C, and do not frequently wet the hat when it dries.
5. Swim or exercise in the water immediately after eating or do physical activity in the hottest hours.
6. Drink alcohol when temperatures exceed 35° C or, in any case, in case of prolonged exposure to the sun.
7. If you do not have an air conditioner at home, do not use a fan in the rooms where you stay, keeping the windows open and the shutters lowered during the hottest hours or in any case lock yourself in the house in conditions of poor environmental ventilation.
8. Do not go to your doctor if you suffer from chronic cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic pathologies to recalibrate the dosage of the drugs taken, particularly if they are vasoactive (antihypertensive) and/or diuretic drugs.
9. Drink alcohol and large meals during the day, and drive immediately after eating.
10. Avoid resting when you are tired.
#Warm #calls #weeks