Published July 8, 2020
Temperatures across the Northeast are on the rise this week, and for the near future there isn’t much relief in sight.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heat-related illnesses, while preventable, are responsible for more than 600 deaths in the U.S. each year. At greatest risk are the elderly, young children and people with some chronic conditions, such as obesity.
“Heat is a risk for all, but especially at the extremes of age,” says Robert F. McCormack, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Dehydration is the primary risk.
“Heat exposure can be life-threatening,” he says. “Sweating helps people to shed heat. If someone is hot and stops sweating, gets confused or passes out, it is a medical emergency and an ambulance should be called.”
To help the vulnerable beat oppressive heat and humidity, McCormack, who is also president of UBMD Emergency Medicine, offers the following tips:
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