PHCC warns about dangers of prolonged sun exposure

Dr Naela Darwish Saad, manager of the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC)'s Umm Slal Health Centre and senior consultant Family Medicine, said that extreme heat during the summer could harm people, especially those who want to exercise or go out on a trip.Prolonged sun exposure along with performing physical activities may lead to heat stress, sometimes called heat exhaustion. Heat stress occurs when the body is unable to cool down effectively through the evaporation of sweat. Untreated, it can progress to heat stroke.Symptoms of heat stress include excessive sweating, dizziness, rapid pulse, low blood pressure, nausea, and fainting. To treat heat stress, the person should move to a cooler and shaded place, drink water, and cool his/her body by spraying with cool water.Dr Saad added that prolonged sun exposure could lead to skin burns. She advised people to apply sunscreen creams on the parts that will be exposed to sunlight.She also advised to drink plenty of water, preferably 6 to 8 glasses a day, and cooled and unsweetened fluids to compensate for the body’s loss of fluids through sweating.Additionally, Dr Saad noted that people should avoid being in direct sunlight when the sun’s rays are strongest, and wear loose cotton clothes with long sleeves which reflect harmful sunlight and act as UV absorbers, as well as wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.