Hot weather is happening on a large scale in many areas across the country, especially in the North, Central and Southern regions.
According to records on May 26, in the Northern region, many localities such as Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Bac Giang, Phu Tho have common temperatures from 35-37 degrees C, in some places exceeding 38 degrees C, approaching 40 degrees C.
Meanwhile, the Central region continues to be the hot spot with provinces from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen experiencing temperatures of 37-39 degrees Celsius, some places in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh may reach the threshold above 40 degrees Celsius.
In the South, Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh and Can Tho maintain high temperatures from 34-36 degrees Celsius, combined with high humidity, causing a feeling of stuffiness to last for many consecutive hours.
When the ambient temperature exceeds the body's normal tolerance, body temperature self-regulating systems will be overloaded, leading to serious medical consequences if not treated and treated promptly.
According to medical experts, here are 3 top dangers for the body when outdoors in hot sun for a long time.
Heat shock (Sunstroke)
Heat shock is the most dangerous condition caused by hot sun.
When staying outdoors in the sun for too long, the core temperature of the body can increase rapidly to 40 degrees Celsius or higher in just 10 to 15 minutes.
At this time, the body's thermoregulatory center in the brain is completely paralyzed, and the body loses the ability to cool itself.
This condition causes serious damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and muscles.
If not given immediate cooling emergency treatment, patients can fall into a coma, convulsions, stroke, and even death.
People can recognize it through signs: Hot, red and dry skin (completely not sweating even when it is very hot), rapid pulse, severe headache, dizziness, nausea, lethargy or loss of consciousness.
Exhaustion due to dehydration and electrolyte loss
Under high temperatures, the body is forced to sweat continuously to reduce heat. This process unintentionally causes a large amount of water and essential minerals such as sodium and potassium to be lost.
Dehydration causes blood volume to decrease, pressure on the circulatory system increases, forcing the heart to beat faster to maintain blood pressure.
Patients will quickly fall into a state of exhaustion due to heat with symptoms such as profuse sweating, exhaustion, pale skin, muscle cramps, headache, dizziness and dark yellow urine.
If not replenished and cooled in time, this condition will progress very quickly to heat shock.
Acute skin damage and cancer risk due to UV rays reaching dangerous thresholds
Record heat often comes with the ultraviolet (UV) index reaching extremely high hazard levels.
Direct exposure to this sunlight without protective membranes will destroy the skin cell structure quickly.
In the short term, high-intensity sunlight causes acute sunburn, causing redness, burning, blisters and peeling skin. In the long term, UV rays penetrate deep into the epidermis, destroying collagen, causing premature aging and disrupting skin cell structure, which is the leading cause of skin cancer.
Initial signs of injury are tingling, burning sensation when just going out in the sun, and the appearance of red patches or blisters after a few hours of exposure.
Recommendations from medical experts
To proactively protect health from extreme heat waves, people and tourists traveling need to strictly comply with the following preventive measures:
First, minimize moving or working outdoors during peak hours from 11 am to 3 pm.
If you are forced to go out, you need to equip yourself with specialized sun protection clothing, wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses and a mask.
Second, actively replenish water and electrolytes. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink, instead, you need to drink regularly from 200 to 300 ml of water every 20 minutes.
Third, apply the correct emergency first aid procedure. When a person is found showing signs of exhaustion or heat shock, immediately take the victim to shade or a cool room, loosen clothes, use a wet towel to wipe off the whole body and immediately call an ambulance.
Absolutely do not arbitrarily give water if the victim has fallen into a drowsy, unconscious state to avoid the risk of suffocation.
