With daytime temperatures in Anantapur crossing 42°C, the hospital issued a public advisory on preventing heat exhaustion and recognising heat stroke. Outdoor workers, farm labourers, construction workers, children and the elderly are at the highest risk.
Anantapur regularly crosses 42°C in May, and the emergency department sees a predictable seasonal rise in heat exhaustion, dehydration and kidney stones through these months. Most of it is preventable, and the preventive measures are simple enough to be worth repeating every year.
Heat exhaustion presents with heavy sweating, weakness, cramps, headache, nausea and giddiness. It responds to moving into shade, loosening clothing, cooling the skin and drinking oral rehydration solution. Heat stroke is different and far more dangerous: the body temperature rises above 40°C, sweating may stop, and the person becomes confused, unsteady or unconscious. That is a medical emergency — call 108, move the person into shade, remove excess clothing, apply water and fans to the skin, and do not wait to see whether they recover.
The advisory asks households to plan around the heat rather than through it: avoid outdoor work between noon and four in the afternoon, drink water at fixed intervals rather than waiting for thirst, add salt and sugar or ORS when sweating heavily, wear light-coloured loose cotton, and never leave a child or an elderly person inside a parked vehicle.
Two groups deserve particular attention. Elderly people feel thirst less reliably and often reduce fluids deliberately to avoid trips to the toilet at night. People on diuretics or with kidney disease need individual advice on how much to drink, and should ask their treating doctor rather than following general guidance.
Anyone unsure whether a family member needs assessment can contact the hospital through /contact-us, and non-urgent consultations can be booked at /book-an-appointment. In an emergency, call 108.