Plenty of sunshine and extremely warm days are ahead for the Cariboo.
Medical Health Officer with Interior Health Dr. Carol Fenton said some people are more susceptible to heat than others.
She noted if you take regular medications or have a health condition ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it increases your health risk in the heat and follow those recommendations.
“And know the signs and symptoms of heat-related illness so you can identify problems early on, so things like headaches, confusion, feeling unsteady. You’ll feel really thirsty at first and then you stop feeling thirsty, that is the danger zone.”
Dr. Fenton said it’s important to stay hydrated and drink cool water and that it’s good to have a buddy system especially if you’re living alone that someone is checking on you and you’re checking on someone making sure that you’re going to be ok.
Some of the risk groups to the heat Dr. Fenton said include small children, the elderly, people who work outside, and certain medical conditions are some of the high-risk groups.
Dr. Fenton added that we should avoid strenuous exercise or physical labor in the heat of the day which is usually between 11 am and 4 pm.
“Staying in the shade is really important, creating your own shade with a hat, especially a wide brim hat is great, and protecting yourself from skin cancer and eye cancer by protecting yourself from the UV rays with sunscreen and sunglasses are really important too,” Dr. Fenton said.