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Beat the heat

Like many Jackson County residents De’Quorianl Pittman and Wesley Watford were taking advantage of the waters of Blue Spring in an effort to escape Friday’s soaring temperatures.

By By KATE McCARDELL Floridan Staff Writer
Published: June 21, 2009

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Officials placed much of North Florida and a portion of Alabama under a heat advisory on Friday and through the weekend, as heat indices reached around 110 degrees.
The near-record temperatures have health and emergency officials urging residents to make efforts to avoid heat-related illness.
Jackson Hospital hasn’t seen any patients with symptoms of heat exhaustion or heatstroke so far during the recent hot weather, according to hospital public relations director Rosie Smith.
“The community is doing a really good job with precautionary measures,” Smith said.
Smith said residents should keep the following tips in mind:
• Avoid working outside during the hottest parts of the day.
• Drink lots of fluids to keep hydrated. If you do have to work, have one pint of fluids per hour.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Wear well-ventilated clothing.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are common and preventable conditions.
Mild heat exhaustion can eventually lead to multi-organ failure and even death, if measures to cool off and rehydrate are not made, according to AAFP.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include general discomfort, headache, nausea, heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness or fainting.
Untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heatstroke, a much more serious illness involving central nervous system dysfunction such as delirium and coma. Other systemic effects, including muscle deterioration, liver failure, irregular heartbeat, blood clotting and even death, are not uncommon, according to the AAFP.
The AAFP reported that heatstroke accounts for at least 240 deaths in the United States annually.