Heatwave and your health: 5 crucial facts you need to know

News24xx.com - As we reel under COVID-19 pandemic and Amphan, Mother Nature hurls another dangerous challenge to us: Heatwave. This condition intensified in the Northern part of India, Churu (Rajasthan) being the hottest (45.6 degree Celsius). Also, the mercury touched the 46-degree mark in parts of Delhi. According to The India Meteorological Department (IMD), the temperatures are going to peak today. However, thunderstorms may bring some relief between May 29-30th. In the recent years, heatwave has emerged as a major threat to India, thanks to climate change. According to some estimates, in 2019 alone, as many as 23 states were affected. Weather experts predict that the number of heatwave days is going to increase in the near future.

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Data suggests that India saw 6000 people losing life to heatwave since 2010 with maximum number of deaths occurring in 2015. That year, 2040 people died of heatwave. However, there are many more deaths caused by heatwave which are unrecorded. While we have data on the mortality rate of heatwaves and heat strokes, we still don’t know how many people lose their lives to overheating of body. This can also lead to potentially dangerous health conditions like organ failure, stroke, and cardiac arrest.

When your body is exposed to heat for a long period of time, the first thing that happens is it loses the ability to sweat. Perspiration is our body’s mechanism to keep us cool. So, if you are unable to sweat, there’s a chance of heatstroke from heat exhaustion.  Your central nervous system and blood circulatory systems are also affected by rising temperatures of the body.