DOH chief reminds public: Hydrate, ‘cool off’ vs summer diseases

MANILA, Philippines — Summer time is here, and so are heat-related illnesses.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Tuesday explained that heat-related diseases are due to long exposure to the sun.

“Ang unang sign niyan [ay] dehydration, uhaw. Pangalawa: fatigue, ‘yung heat exhaustion, madaling mapapagod, tapos nun magkakaroon ng heat fatigue, tapos magkakaroon ng heat stroke,” Herbosa said in an interview in the Senate.

(The first signs are dehydration and thirst. Secondly, fatigue and heat exhaustion — you become easily tired, leading to heat fatigue, and eventually, heat stroke.)

“’Yung heat stroke hinimatay, ‘yung nag-collapse sa init, so ‘yung heat stroke madadala na kayo sa emergency room,” he added.

(A heat stroke can cause fainting or collapsing due to the heat. So, if you experience a heat stroke, you may need to be taken to the emergency room.)

To prevent falling ill due to hot weather conditions, the health chief advised the public to drink water and “cool off” or go to a cooler place.

READ: How to beat the heat? Read on

“Kailangan ‘pag nag-umpisa pa lang ‘yung pakiramdam ng thirst, mag-hydrate na,” Herbosa said.

(When you start feeling thirsty, it’s important to drink water to hydrate immediately.)

“’Pag nakaramdam ng heat exhaustion, ‘yung parang pagod na pagod at parang lanta na yung katawan mo… mag-cool off na kayo.”

(When you start feeling heat exhaustion, or extremely tired and your body feels drained… it’s time to cool off.)

“You better go to a cooler place. Huwag masyadong mabilis cooling at kailangan ‘wag masyadong malamig ang inumin ng tubig kasi pwede ring magkaroon ng side effect,” he added.

(You better go to a cooler place. Don’t cool down too quickly, and make sure not to drink water that is too cold as doing this may also have side effects.)

To cool down, Herbosa said one may look for a covered place first, preferably under a roof or tree, or go to an air-conditioned room before taking a shower.

Long exposure to the sun is more dangerous for individuals with hypertension, heart ailments, and other existing illnesses, the health chief warned.

“Kung ikaw may hypertension [at] mapunta ka sa init ng araw, baka makaroon ka ng heart attack or heat stroke. Hindi lang heat stroke, [kundi] totoong stroke,” he said.

(If you have hypertension and you expose yourself to the heat of the sun, you might have a heart attack or heat stroke. Not just heat stroke; it can be a real stroke)

“Every time we have other illnesses, whether it’s kidney failure, cancer, mahirap ma-expose sa extremes ng weather, so very important to protect yourself, ‘wag pong maglagi sa labas,” he added.

(When we have other illnesses, such as kidney failure or cancer, it’s difficult to expose ourselves to extreme weather conditions, so it’s very important to protect yourself. Avoid staying outdoors for too long.)

Herbosa said other common diseases during summer include food-related and water-borne illnesses.

“Kasi ‘yung food, pagdating ng hapon, during hot weather, ‘yung niluto mo kaninang umaga, sa hapon panis na yun. Dati, ‘pag cooler ang weather, medyo mas tumatagal,” he pointed out.

(During hot weather, the food you cook in the morning might already be spoiled in the afternoon. In the past, when the weather was cooler, it used to last a bit longer.)

He then warned the public against consuming reheated food.