People can beat the heat and avoid illness this summer by taking precautions

With temperatures peaking above 100 degrees once already, people should take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses going forward this summer.

Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County Public Health director, suggested people stay inside during any remaining heat waves but also provided tips and what signs to look for if people can’t do that. Temperatures reached triple digits during the last heat wave in Clark County, although nobody died as a result. Area hospitals did experience an increase in emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses, however, according to the Clark County Public Health Department in an email.

For the next stretch of high heat, even for those exposed to temperatures in the mid-80s and higher for a long period of time, Melnick said the best course of action is to limit being outside and limit being outdoors to the early morning or late evening hours, if possible.

“If you’re going to be outside, you should drink two to four glasses of non-alcoholic fluids each hour,” Melnick suggested. “You really want to maintain hydration, and [if] you’re working outside, your workers need to check on each other to see how they’re doing, and you need to find some shade and get some rest. Cool down for a little bit. It can help to wear a brimmed hat and sunglasses.”

Melnick recommends people drink fluids that do not contain caffeine, alcohol and lots of sugar. To prevent sunburns in the hot summer sun, he said people should apply a sunscreen of SPF-30 or higher.

He said people should never leave young children or pets inside a vehicle when summer temperatures reach 75 degrees and above. The temperature inside a vehicle can rise almost 20 degrees Farenheit in just 10 minutes and almost 30 degrees Fahrenheit in 20 minutes, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“In terms of being outside, never leave anybody, especially a young child or a pet, in a parked vehicle, and that’s even true if the windows are rolled down,” Melnick said. “Even with the windows rolled down, temperatures in a vehicle can rise rapidly, and you want to make sure that you don’t ever leave a living being or pet in a car, windows rolled down or not.”

On a job site, shade and rest breaks, along with adequate fluids, need to be available for workers, Melnick said.

Along with taking steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, Melnick said recognizing the symptoms are crucial as they can turn into a medical emergency.

“We need to check on our neighbors and certainly people who are outside or who lack air conditioning,” he said. “ ... The first sign of heat-related illness is something we call heat exhaustion.”

Heat exhaustion includes a lot of sweating, which helps cool the body down; pale skin; lethargy; weakness; dizzy or lightheadedness; headaches; and even vomiting, Melnick explained.

“What you need to do at that point is you can still cool the body by drinking non-alcoholic, cool beverages. So getting cool fluids and helping to move somebody like that to an air-conditioned place immediately and taking a cool bath or shower will help,” Melnick said. “... If the symptoms go on for more than an hour, they should certainly seek medical attention.”

After heat exhaustion occurs, people may experience heat stroke, which Melnick said is a medical emergency. He said the body temperature may rise to over 103 degrees, which is too hot for the body to regulate itself.

“When you get to the point of heat stroke, you lose the ability to do that, and your skin will be red, hot and dry. There won’t be sweating. The person will feel warm, if you don’t have a thermometer,” Melnick said. “The pulse will go up. They’ll have a throbbing headache and nausea and dizziness, and at this point they’ll get confused. So then you call 9-1-1 if you see this happening, and you need to immediately place a person in a bath or cold shower or spray them with cool water from a garden hose. And at that point, do not give somebody fluids to drink. Cool their body down, but do not — while you’re waiting for 9-1-1 to get there — do not give them fluids to drink.”

For the unhoused, Melnick expressed the importance of visiting coolness centers and public places with air conditioning, such as shopping malls and libraries.