22 Jul 2008
Members of the public, particularly those engaged in outdoor activities or work, are reminded to take measures to prevent heatstroke and sunburn during the hot weather.
A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) today (July 22) said people should make sure that they bring and drink plenty of water to prevent water loss from sweating while engaged in outdoor activities.
He said particular attention should be paid to children, the elderly, the sick (including those with heart disease and high blood pressure) and obese persons as they were more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses.
People are advised to consider the following protective measures when going outdoors:
- Wear light-coloured loose clothing to reduce heat absorption and aid sweat evaporation and heat dissipation.
- Do not engage in prolonged activities such as hiking or trekking in extremely hot weather, as the heat, sweating and exhaustion place additional demands on one's physique.
- Choose to undertake outdoor activities in the morning or late afternoon.
- Re-schedule your work to cooler times of the day. If you must work in a hot environment, introduce shading in the work areas where practicable, then start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. Get into a cool area for a rest every now and then to let your body recuperate.
- Take heed of the measured and forecast ultra-violet (UV) index released by the Hong Kong Observatory. When the UV index is high (6 or above), consider wearing long sleeved clothing, a wide-brim hat or using an umbrella, seek shade, put on UV blocking sun-glasses and apply sunscreen with a protection factor of 15 or above. The above precautions should be reinforced for higher levels of the UV index.
- If you choose to exercise indoors, make sure that indoor ventilation is adequate.
The spokesman said that any person feeling unwell should stop immediately and seek medical advice as soon as possible.
People wishing to get more information on the prevention of heat stroke and protection against UV radiation can call DH's Central Health Education Unit hotline at 2833 0111. Information can also be obtained from DH's health educational homepage at
www.cheu.gov.hk
.