Under the blazing sun, heat triggers exhaustion and a host of illnesses

  • | Thursday | 26th April, 2018

But there is enough water near spots where the labourers work. “People complain of itch in the groin due to fungal infection caused by heat and excessive sweating which traps moisture. The commonest among them are heat-related fever or exhaustion and loose motions or summer diarrhoea,” family physician Santaji Kadam said.People, especially those whose job necessitates working outside, tend to drink cold beverages. The extreme heat outside makes them drink a lot of water along with the meal. The person has fever, chills in addition to a burning sensation during urinating, Kadam said.Skin infections are also up.

PUNE: Marketing staff, traffic policemen, delivery boys, courier and postal department employees, hawkers, labourers and those working in the ongoing infrastructural projects like the Pune Metro, who are out every day in this hot weather, and a host of people across a spectrum are complaining about heat exhaustion, viral fever, summer diarrhoea, urinary tract and skin infections.They have been indisposed and advised compulsory rest, doctors said.Day temperatures in the city have been well above the 36 degrees celsius mark since the last four weeks with most days recording temperatures above 38 degrees C and even 39 degrees C.“There has been a marked spike in cases of all sorts of heat-related illnesses in the last 30 days. The commonest among them are heat-related fever or exhaustion and loose motions or summer diarrhoea,” family physician Santaji Kadam said.People, especially those whose job necessitates working outside, tend to drink cold beverages. This causes them a runny nose, initially. A day after they get fever and nausea followed by severe headaches. Some patients vomit on the third day while some may have loose motions, he added.“These health problems are among people working in marketing and sales jobs, women who go on door-to-door businesses, small business operators and labourers,” Kadam said.Besides, summer is also the marriage season. “People tend to eat well at functions. The extreme heat outside makes them drink a lot of water along with the meal. This causes hyperacidity, vomiting and diarrhoea, leading to gastritis or gastroenteritis,” Kadam said.Bacterial infection in the urinary tract is also common in this heat.“I see patients who complain about a burning sensation while urinating. Some complain of dribbling urine. Some have red urine,” Kadam said. People tend to eat and drink outside food and beverages which are loaded with sugar.Excess intake of sugar through beverages increases a person's propensity to catch bacterial infections, leading to urinary tract infection. The person has fever, chills in addition to a burning sensation during urinating, Kadam said.Skin infections are also up. “People complain of itch in the groin due to fungal infection caused by heat and excessive sweating which traps moisture. Twice-a-day bath and loose clothes are helpful,” Kadam said.General practitioner Sarang Phadke said about 50% of the patients coming to his clinic are down with heat-related illnesses. They are people who work out and are exposed to the heat.Traffic policemen have been given headgear and googles and have been allowed to stand in the shade during peak heat hours.“We have ensured that our traffic police personnel are adequately protected during the daytime heat. We have not come across any increase in complaints of heat-related illnesses so far,” deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Ashok Morale said.Officials overseeing the ongoing Pune Metro project have taken steps to protect the work force from the heat. Gautam Birhade of MahaMetro Rail Corporation said, “They are provided with safety caps. Besides, sheds have been put up at every site for resting. Adequate drinking water is available at every site so labourers do not get dehydrated. The labourers travel to the sites in the morning and have been told to rest between 12.30pm and 2pm in peak temperature. Heavy work is taken up in morning and evening and all the workers are provided a lunch tiffin at the site,” he said.MahaMetro has taken up construction work on Pimpri-Range Hills and Vanaz-Civil Court routes. Workers are also deployed at the casting yards. About 1,500 labourers are working in three shifts at various locations.A PMC labour contractor said, “A shed is not always possible at the work sites. But there is enough water near spots where the labourers work. We have not had too many cases of absenteeism because of the weather. They can withstand hot weather.”(Inputs from Sarang Dastane, Neha Madaan, Satyanarayan Iyer and Shiladitya Pandit

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