Dangerous heat is settling on Missouri and will be here for several days. The state health department thinks sensible behavior can avoid a lot of suffering. The department says any heat index of 105 or more is dangerous and much of Missouri will hit or exceed that level for the next several days. Senior Epidemiologist Lori Harris-Franklin says people at both ends of the age scale are especially susceptible to harm and some ailments leave people suscepitible to heat-related problems.. People with heart conditions or diabetes, those with heart conditions or Parkinson’s Disease, the elderly and children younger than four are considered higher-risk.
She says some of those people can be hurt by the things that are supposed to improve their health. Harris-Franklin says some medicins are diuretics that draw fluid out of the body, thereby accelerating dehydration, the biggest problem. Harris-Franklin says fruit juices and energy drinks are much better than soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. But water is best.
She says profuse sweating is a sign of heat exhaustion and a warning for the person to find a place to cool down. But the most serious sign is if a person stops sweating, that person is on the verge of—or is having a heat Stroke…..and medical attention must be sought immediately.
Harris-Franklin says fluids and air conditioning are the greatest protections—and neither is all that hard to get.
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