The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a weather warning for the Western and Eastern Cape as well as the Northern Cape. Cold, snow, strong winds and heavy rain has been forecasted.
Stay warm
While the idea of soups, hearty meals and warm clothes might make you excited for winter, the risk for hypothermia remains high. However, according to Dr. Robyn Holgate, ER24’s chief medical officer, you don’t have to be freezing for hypothermia to develop. There are many ways we can lose heat from the body.
What is hypothermia?
Hypothermia is a condition where the body loses heat faster than the body can produce it.
How does hypothermia occur?
Accidental hypothermia: This is the unintentional drop in body temperature to less than 35°C when the body’s usual responses to cold begin to fail.
Examples of those affected: unexpected exposure or someone that is inadequately prepared, for example, the elderly or homeless, someone caught in a winter storm, or even an outdoor sports enthusiast.
Intentional: post-trauma or after a cardiac arrest, which we generally call therapeutic hypothermia.
There are many ways where we can lose heat from the body, for example:
• Convection when you have wet clothing on or a fan to cool down;
• Conduction which is the transfer of body heat to other objects (for example sitting on a cold metal chair);
• Evaporation which is responsible for about 20 to 30 per cent of heat loss in temperate conditions, losing heat through the conversion of water to gas (evaporation of sweat);
• Radiation is a form of heat loss through infrared rays. This involves the transfer of heat from one object to another with no physical contact required. For example, the sun transfers heat to the earth through radiation.
It is important to note that hypothermia is not just having a low body temperature or someone who is shivering. Heat loss in cold and wet weather increases the risk of hypothermia and injury. Heat loss can occur in warm temperatures through conduction. Swimming or sitting in cool or cold water can cause the body to lose heat very quickly and increase the risk for hypothermia.
According to Dr Holgate, there are different stages of hypothermia.
She explained, “Medically, we classify hypothermia as a temperature less than 35 degree Celsius. Our normal body temperature is in the region of about 37 degrees.”
Mild hypothermia is the initial phase to stop the cold where you might shiver, have a fast heartbeat, have rapid breathing and blood vessel constriction occurs. Moderate hypothermia is where your body experiences a decreased heart rate, a changed level of consciousness, decreased respiratory rate, dilated pupils and decreased gag reflex.
Severe hypothermia is when there is usually no perceptible breathing, the person is in a coma, they have non-reactive pupils, they don’t pass any urine, and they sometimes present pulmonary oedema.
Treatment for hypothermia varies according to severity.
Here are some first-aid guidelines for the treatment of hypothermia:
• When you’re helping a person with hypothermia, handle him or her gently.
• Move the person out of the cold to a warm, dry location, sheltering them from the wind.
• If the person is wearing wet clothing, remove it.
• Cover the person with dry blankets and don’t forget to cover their heads too.
• Ensure they lie on a blanket or warm surface.
• If you have first aid, make use of warm compresses around the groin and chest area to provide warmth for the patient.
• Provide warm beverages if the person is alert and able to drink fluids.
• Monitor the patient’s breathing. A person with severe hypothermia may appear unconscious, with no apparent signs of a pulse or respiration. If the person’s breathing has stopped or seems dangerously low or shallow, begin CPR.
• Within the Emergency Medical Service (EMS), paramedics use a rescue blanket as well as a standard blanket to warm patients up. The rescue blanket can prevent heat loss through convection or radiation. Standard blankets can prevent heat loss through conduction and convention.
• You may use passive or active rewarming techniques, depending on the severity of hypothermia. These methods may include blood rewarming, warm intravenous fluid use, airway rewarming and irrigation techniques.
• Seniors, children and the homeless are at significant risk of developing hypothermia this winter. Try and remain indoors and keep yourself warm.
• If a patient shows symptoms of mild hypothermia, make sure they stay inside and keep warm so that the person’s condition does not worsen. Prevention remains better than cure.
• Medical attention must be sought immediately if someone appears to be suffering from hypothermia and is becoming lethargic and confused.
Heavy rain
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of a low-lying area. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane or even a tropical storm.
Flash floods are distinguished from regular floods by a timescale of less than six hours.
You will not always have a warning that these deadly, sudden floods are coming.
So, if you live in areas prone to flash floods, plan accordingly to protect your family and property.
Below is a list of tips.
Your home:
• Keep emergency numbers and important information handy. Also keep emergency supplies such as water, canned food, a can opener, battery-operated radio, flashlight and protective clothing ready.
• Keep a first-aid kit.
• Turn off all your household electrical devices.
• Lock all doors and windows.
• Leave the area before it gets too late. Get to higher ground.
Should you be outdoors or in your vehicle, do the following:
• Climb to higher ground and stay there.
• Avoid walking through floodwaters, even 15 centimetres deep can sweep you off your feet.
• If floodwaters rise around your car, but the water is not moving, abandon the car and move to higher ground.
• Never drive through a flooded road as the road may be washed away.
• If you get swept away in the floodwaters, try to grab onto anything you can to pull yourself to safety.
• Getting swept away while inside your vehicle can be extremely dangerous. If you are stuck inside your vehicle, roll down the windows and open the doors to allow water into your vehicle.
Doing this will equal the pressure on both sides of the door, allowing you to escape your vehicle. By following these few tips, you will be prepared in the event of a flash flood and remember, call 084124 for RealHelpRealFast.
