BMJ
Research
Association between ambient temperature and mortality risk and burden: time series study in 272 main Chinese cities
BMJ 2018; 363 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4306 (Published 31 October 2018)
Cite this as: BMJ 2018;363:k430
Rapid response
Re: Association between ambient temperature and mortality risk and burden: time series study in 272 main Chinese cities
Mitigation of Heat Related Disasters in India
India is now two and a half times more likely to have a deadly heat wave than a half century ago.
In India the number of heat wave days increased by 25 percent across most of its land. Areas in the south and west experienced 50 percent more heat wave events, or periods of extreme heat lasting more than three or four days, compared with the previous 25-year period.
India is a tropical country, so people are used to heat. Indians used to take hot climate as a natural phenomenon.
When temperatures rise to a high level it may cause many health hazards including death. To reduce the morbidity and mortality on hot days in Indian states, school days were reduced, government work programmes were ceased, and free water was distributed in busy areas. White reflective paint was applied to roofs in slum communities, with the aim of dropping the temperatures in homes by up to five degrees. The gates of city gardens, usually closed in the daytime, were opened on hot days so that people of all walks of life, including traffic police and rickshaw pullers, could seek shade.
In Indian hospitals, staff were trained to identify the early signs of heat stroke, including dizziness and other problems. Instead of waiting in wards, patients were rushed to dedicated cool rooms equipped with fans, ice packs and, electricity supply permitting, air conditioning to reduce morbidity and mortality due to heat waves.
A combination of public awareness campaigns, training of medical staff and simple policy changes have averted thousands of deaths for little cost in India during the heat.
With the advice of our Prime Minister Modi, India’s national disaster management authority is aiming to reduce the death toll from excessive heat to zero.
Competing interests: No competing interests
03 November 2018
M.A. Aleem
Emeritus Professor of Neurology* Visiting specialist in Neurology** Neurologist***
A.M.Hskkim
The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University* Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical college ** ABC Hospital***
Chennai 600032* Perambaur 621212** Trichy 620018*** Tamilnadu India
M.A.Aleem
No comments:
Post a Comment