Doha, Qatar- June 2024- With schools closed and children at home for the long summer break, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) reminds parents and caregivers to protect children from heat-related illnesses by avoiding excessive heat and humidity.
Experts at HMC warn parents to exercise caution and refrain from exposing children to high temperature or humidity if they choose to do any outdoor activities with them.
“Children are at an increased risk of developing heat-related illness if exposed to high temperatures because they don’t adjust to changes in environmental conditions as quickly as most healthy adults do. Therefore, it is very important for parents or caregivers to ensure children’s outdoor play time is when temperature and humidity are low, or they can let children play in airconditioned or shaded area,” notes Dr. Rafael Consunji, Director of Hamad Trauma Center’s Hamad Injury Protection Program (HIPP).
Common signs and symptoms of heat stress and heat-related illnesses include: an elevated body temperature, cool/clammy skin, irritability, increased thirst/sweating, headache, feeling faint, dizzy or weak. If unrecognized or neglected, these signs and symptoms can lead to more severe heat exhaustion and stroke.
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“Children should not be left unsupervised to play outdoors. With the increasing temperatures, we want to remind the public of the increased health risks associated with children being left outside to play. It is understandable that parents might like to take their children to the beach, the pool or parks to cool off or unwind. However, it is advisable to follow some heat prevention precautions such as ensuring the children wear lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting clothing, using a timer to limit their time under the direct heat to 30 minutes or less and drink cold fluids every 15 minutes while outside,” he highlights.
Dr. Consunji recommends these proven ‘SMART’ techniques to reduce your child’s risk for heat-related illness:
- Keep an eye on kids while they play outside so that you can spot and treat any symptoms of heat-related illnesses.
- Monitor local heat and humidity forecasts, using any weather app, to know if there are heat warnings of extreme temperatures or high humidity.
- Avoid unshaded play areas and play surfaces that absorb and reflect heat, like asphalt, concrete, dark colored and reflective surfaces.
- Regular breaks, every 30 minutes, to take children into air conditioned indoors or shaded spaces and to drink cool liquids, every 15 minutes. Dry their sweat off, provide a cool towel wipe and change clothes, if necessary. Use a phone alarm with lively alarm sounds or songs and make it a game with the children, so they enjoy these breaks.
- Time outdoor play time before 10am and after 4pm to reduce dangerous heat exposure.
