Parental Guide for a Very Hot Summer
Heat waves and children's health
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Heatstroke in Children
Heatstroke occurs due to long stays outside during high temperatures, and as a consequence of a direct exposure to sunshine, as well as a consequence of staying in an enclosed space, due to damp and overheated air, i.e. in public transport, an automobile, or an overheated apartment.
Even though a parent may feel comfortable at a certain temperature, this should not necessarily imply that the child feels the same way, since he/she is yet to have his/her thermoregulation stabilised.
How To Protect Children?
- Newborns, infants, and toddlers should be taken out early in the morning and later in the afternoon. It is not advisable to take young children out during the hottest period of the day, from 10AM to 5PM.
- The child should be dressed in loose-fitting clothes made of natural materials (cotton, linen), with his/her head covered with an obligatory cotton cap, or a hat.
- Always have with you a bottle of water that you should offer the child frequently, at least a sip or two (instead of water, this can also be a mild lemonade).
- Never leave children in your car, or other type of vehicle in the sun – not even for a couple of minutes!
Symptoms of a Heatstroke in Children
Heatstroke may be announced with the specific set of symptoms, resembling a virus infection. Before the symptoms of heatstroke are manifested, children often manifest milder signs of heat exhaustion, such as headache, nausea, dizziness and ear-buzzing.
The main symptom of heatstroke is the increase in body temperature due to fast and excessive heating of the body, where in just half an hour, the temperature may rise to more than 40°C. The heatstroke symptoms may also be fatal.
Children up to five years of age:
- Intense anxiety and loud crying followed by fatigue and drowsiness
- The lack of perspiration in spite of excessive heat
- Refusing the intake of liquids
- Occurrence of convulsions – cramps of stomach and muscles
- Vomiting
- Hyperventilation
- Increased heart rate
- Very high bodily temperature
- Losing consciousness
- Retraction of the soft part of the newborn’s/infant’s head
- Skin on the arms and legs hot to touch and redness of the face
- After moving the newborn/infant to the shade, the arms and legs become suddenly cold and shivering ensues.
Children older than five:
- Dry and hot skin
- Lack of perspiration
- Intense headache
- Incoherent speech
- Hyperventilation
- Increased heart rate
- Dizziness
- Losing consciousness
- Diarrhoea
- Bodily cramps
- High bodily temperature (40°C and more)
- Buzzing in one’s ears
- Bewilderment (the child appears confused).
- Incoherent speech
- Skin rash
What to do in the event of a heatstroke in chidren of all ages?
- Call ambulance/doctor immediately if you suspect that the child had a heatstroke.
- Until the professional help arrives, immediately move the child to shade, or take him/her out of the overheated room, automobile, or other vehicle. If possible, place the child into an adequately air-conditioned, or darkened, well-aired room.
- Make the child comfortable – remove all unnecessary clothes.
- Offer some liquid to the child immediately – water is the best option if the conditions allow it.
- Wash the child’s face and body with lukewarm water. If water is unavailable, expose the child to some air current (e.g. cool him/her with a fan).
- Put some ice cubes enwrapped in a cloth or a cold compress on the child’s head.
- Even weeks after the heatstroke, the child is sensitive to high temperatures, so staying in cooled rooms and decreased physical activity are advised.
Never leave your child in a heated car - not even for a couple of minutes
- An especially dangerous situation for children during the summer is even a short stay in a car. A child’s bodily temperature rises three to five times faster than in adults. The temperature in a vehicle may increase by 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. When the child is left in a vehicle during the hot summer days, his/her bodily temperature is quick to rise, so the fatal outcome is possible in just a couple of minutes. Never leave the child unattended in a vehicle – even when the windows are partially open, or the engine is working, with the AC on.
- Make habit of checking the entire vehicle– the front and the back – before leaving it and locking the doors.
- Keep your car keys outside the child’s reach and teach the child that the car is not a toy.
- Keep the doors and the boot to your car locked at all times, throughout the year, so that children could not get into the car unattended.
- If you observe a child alone in a locked car, get him/her out immediately, call ambulance, and cool him/her down.
