Rescuers around the world step up as heatwaves stoke heatstroke risks
Spanish rescuers took AFP through the warning signs and best responses to the potentially fatal condition, as a heatwave grips Spain, Portugal, France and the Balkans.
Scientists warn that periods of extreme heat will become longer, more frequent and more intense as human-induced climate change accelerates.
Symptoms
In a large room at Madrid's Isabel Zendal hospital, emergency medical staff adjusted their headphones and fixed their gaze on their computer screens.
They receive 3,500 calls every day, some caused by falls, fainting and other dangers linked to overheating.
But identifying heatstroke straight away is 'difficult', said Gemma Rodriguez, a team leader at the SUMMA 112 emergency service.
The symptoms can 'point to another condition, for example, an unconscious person, a person who has fallen over... or has trauma, and the primary cause could have been heatstroke', she told AFP.
To diagnose the condition, doctors typically examine whether the patient has a body temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit); whether their skin is hot and dry; or whether they are sweating heavily, nauseous or vomiting, she added.
In extreme cases, heatstroke can cause incoherent speech and loss of consciousness, and can even prove fatal if left untreated.
Rodriguez said vulnerable groups like children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses should pay particular attention to the warning signs.
She recalled the case of an elderly couple with Alzheimer's disease who spent several hours in the sun in the countryside in early June.
The man tumbled into a ditch and the woman fainted, but they are now out of danger thanks to the intervention of SUMMA 112, she told AFP.
Treatment
When someone has heatstroke, the priority is to bring down their body temperature, for example by moving them into the shade or an air-conditioned room -- anything to shield them from the sun, Rodriguez explained.
'Another method is to use compresses, cool them with serums, or (apply) water and ice' to the armpits, forehead, neck, genital area and stomach, she said.
'In the most extreme and serious cases', Rodriguez added, patients may need to be given therapeutic serums intravenously.
Prevention
To avoid heatstroke, people should avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day, generally from midday to 4 pm, Rodriguez said.
The advice is particularly relevant to sports enthusiasts and people who work outdoors, like street sweepers and laborers, she added as she unfolded a survival blanket designed to keep patients cool.
It is also important to stay hydrated, wear light clothing and caps, and stay in the shade or air-conditioned spaces, Rodriguez told AFP.
For active types unable to resist a workout, she had a simple message: 'avoid those (hot) hours or do it in an air-conditioned room'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Two die in France of ‘heat-related illness': minister
PARIS: Two people died in France as a result of 'heat-related illness,' said the minister for ecological transition on Wednesday, as the country registered its second-hottest June since records began in 1900. 'More than 300 people have been treated by firefighters and two have died as a result of heat-related illness,' said Agnes Pannier-Runacher.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Al Arabiya
More than 14 million people could die from US foreign aid cuts: Study
More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people — a third of them small children — could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected on Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a UN conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then–close adviser — and world's richest man — Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency 'through the woodchipper.' The funding cuts 'risk abruptly halting — and even reversing — two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations,' warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). 'For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,' he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. They also used modeling to project how funding being slashed by 83 percent — the figure announced by the US government earlier this year — could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five — or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programs supported by USAID were linked to a 15 percent decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers found. For children under five, the drop in deaths was twice as steep at 32 percent. USAID funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65 percent fewer deaths from HIV/AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. After USAID was gutted, several other major donors — including Germany, the UK, and France — followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to 'even more additional deaths in the coming years,' study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal said. But the grim projections for deaths were based on the current amount of pledged aid, so could rapidly come down if the situation changes, the researchers emphasized. Dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for the biggest aid conference in a decade. The US, however, will not attend. 'Now is the time to scale up, not scale back,' Rasella said. Before its funding was slashed, USAID represented 0.3 percent of all US federal spending. 'US citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID, around $64 per year,' said study co-author James Macinko of the University of California, Los Angeles. 'I think most people would support continued USAID funding if they knew just how effective such a small contribution can be to saving millions of lives.'
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
USAID cuts may cause over 14 million additional deaths by 2030, study says
PARIS: More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, a study in the Lancet journal projected Tuesday. 'For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict,' study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said in a statement. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT President Donald Trump's administration, since taking office in January, has made funding cuts to USAID and its aid programs worldwide in what the U.S. government says is part of its broader plan to remove wasteful spending. Human rights experts and advocates have warned against the cuts. USAID funding has had a crucial role in improving global health, primarily directed toward low and middle-income countries, particularly African nations, according to the study. BY THE NUMBERS The study estimated that over the past two decades, USAID-funded programs have prevented more than 91 million deaths globally, including 30 million deaths among children. Projections suggest that ongoing deep funding cuts - combined with the potential dismantling of the agency - could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths among children younger than 5 years, the study in The Lancet said. Washington is the world's largest humanitarian aid donor, amounting to at least 38% of all contributions recorded by the United Nations. It disbursed $61 billion in foreign assistance last year, just over half of it via USAID, according to government data. KEY QUOTE "Our estimates show that, unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030," the study said. CONTEXT U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in March the Trump administration canceled over 80% of all programs at USAID following a six-week review. The remaining approximately 1,000 programs, he said, would now be administered "more effectively" under the U.S. State Department and in consultation with Congress.
