Red Cross advises people in heatwave states to stay indoors and understand heatstroke

ABC NEWS (Australia)

As the temperatures climb, the Red Cross recommends people prepare their home or find somewhere cool to stay. Ensure your residence has enough food and water and check in on anyone with medical conditions. The organisation says to wear light clothing and stay hydrated. And when temperatures rise, don't forget about your pets. Nichola Krey from Australian Red Cross says everyone needs to be aware of the risks.

Transcript

00:01The advice is to stay indoors today, don't go outside.

00:05If you do see someone suffering heatstroke, get them into a cool area as soon as you can

00:10and the idea is to cool their bodies down.

00:12With the neck but also under the arms and around the groin,

00:15don't administer ibuprofen or paracetamol.

00:18So heatstroke has a range from unconscious to mild heatstroke.

00:23You may feel dizziness or confusion and you may be sweating profusely or not at all.

00:29So most at risk, if you have an underlying illness, a chronic illness,

00:33if you're an elderly person or if you're pregnant,

00:36you can definitely, your symptoms can be exacerbated.

00:40But on extreme heat days, everybody's vulnerable.

00:43The body doesn't regulate, temperatures are not going down in the evenings

00:47and so everybody needs to be aware that heat can kill.

00:51Heat can affect your cognitive ability.

00:53So if you have an underlying mental health illness as well,

00:56the symptoms can exacerbate.

00:58So we're asking everybody to keep an eye on their loved ones today

01:02and their friends and check in with them

01:04because it's not a great time for everybody.

01:06It's not uncomfortable.

01:07It can be deadly and really dangerous.

01:10Another big question.

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