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ARE YOU READY for it?
A heatwave is going to hit Ireland this weekend, with a status yellow high temperature warning issued for half the country tomorrow and the whole country on Saturday.
And while a sunny spell is always welcomed in Ireland, high temperatures can also pose some risks in a country that is not particularly used to it.
Saturday’s weather is expected to reach up to 29 degrees, with Met Éireann warning of “an uncomfortable night for sleeping” ahead.
Public health expert Professor Anthony Staines said the upcoming weather will be “hot enough to be dangerous”, particularly for the elderly, the very young and people with heart issues.
“We’re not really used to that weather here, we don’t have huge experience,” he told The Journal.
Staines urged people to take it easy, wear light clothes and drink water regularly. To stay hydrated, he recommended consuming one litre of water every two hours, never leaving the house without water, and avoiding alcohol, tea and coffee.
“Never underestimate how much water you need. Bring three times as much water as you think you’ll need,” he said, particularly when taking exercise.
To stay cool at night, he advised keeping blinds closed during the day, drinking cool water and sleeping with light or no bedclothes and pyjamas.
The professor said people should enjoy the weather but prioritise safety. He said the number of deaths in the country is likely to increase during the heatwave.
Dr Sophie Olah, the head of veterinary services at the Irish Blue Cross told The Journal that hot weather poses a “serious risk to pets, particularly dogs, cats, and smaller furry pets”, as many animals struggle to regulate their body temperature, making them vulnerable to heatstroke and dehydration.
Pets must have access to fresh, cool water and shaded areas at all times. Small furry pets, must be well groomed and have their accommodation kept out of direct sunlight, too. The Blue Cross suggested freezing some spring water from a tin of tuna to help keep cats hydrated.
Dr Olah recommends not walking pets until the weather cools down, unless it’s very early in the morning or the temperature has dropped sufficiently in the late evening.
If you need to take your dog for a walk to use the bathroom, she said, “walk as slowly as possible, on as short a walk as possible, bring plenty of cool water with you and stick to shaded areas”. She also recommends keeping cats inside on hot days.
Generally temperatures become dangerous for pets at 20 degrees, but extra caution must be taken with older, flat-faced, and overweight pets and those with veterinary conditions, like heart-related issues.
Obvious signs of heatstroke in animals include collapse, excessive panting or breathing heavily, and dribbling. If your pet is displaying any of these signs, Dr Olah recommends moving the animals to a cool place, wetting their coat thoroughly, all the way down to their skin, and contacting a vet immediately.
Basically, it’s time to get out the sun cream, with both the HSE National Cancer Control Programme and Healthy Ireland urging people to avoid getting a sunburn and to focus on staying safe.
It’s recommended you keep a sun safety kit with you when you leave the house. The kit should include clothing that covers your skin, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen of at least 30+ SPF for adults and 50+ SPF for children.
The higher the UV index is, the greater the risk of skin and eye damage. The UV forecast is available on Met Éireann’s website at met.ie/uv-index, and if it’s above three, you should make sure to protect your skin and eyes.
Irish Cancer Society Cancer Awareness Nurse Sarah Egan told The Journal that more than 11,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with skin cancer each year and 270 deaths occur from skin cancer annually, making skin cancer the most common cancer in Ireland.
Being badly sunburned more than three times before the age of 20 doubles the risk of skin cancer as an adult, and getting a painful sunburn just once every two years can triple the risk of melanoma, the more aggressive type of skin cancer.
Egan recommended checking your skin from head to toe monthly to check for any changes. If you notice any changes that are unexplainable, persistent (lasting 3 weeks or more) or unusual, make an appointment with your GP.
Pharmacists are also advising people to take extra precaution during the hot spell, particularly outdoor workers.
The Irish Pharmacists Union said farmers can be exposed to 2 to 3 times more UV rays from the sun compared with people who work indoors, putting them at a higher risk of skin cancer.
They advised farmers to pay particular attention to areas of skin which are exposed to sunlight by using a wide brimmed hat and sunscreen to protect your ears, face and neck.
With the upcoming hot weekend, the RNLI is urging families in particular to prioritise safety when visiting the coast or waterways.
They advise people to only visit a lifeguarded beach, swim between the red and yellow flags, and never allow anyone to swim alone. They also recommend checking the weather forecast, tide times and local hazard signage to understand risks.
If you do find yourself experiencing difficulty in the water, adopt the float-to-live technique. Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged. Relax and try to breathe normally. Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat if you need to. It’s fine if your legs sink.
This technique gives you the chance to rest and recover your breathing. Once you’ve regained control of your breathing, you can call for help or swim to safety. In an emergency, dial 999 and ask for the Coast Guard.
The ESB is reminding the people of the dangers of swimming in any ESB reservoir, which are all unsafe for swimming due to “deep, fast-flowing waters, fluctuating water levels, and uneven terrain”.
Martin Stronge of the ESB said: “It is important that people take note of the safety warnings which are visible on signs posted around ESB reservoirs.”
The Road Safety Authority is asking road users to be cautious on the roads this weekend as the increased heat and clear sunny conditions can cause a dangerous sun glare, which can result in drivers being temporarily dazzled or blinded by the sun.
The RSA said the fine weather can cause a spike in pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist casualties, urging people to be extra cautious at junctions.
The RSA is advising drivers to reduce the risk by wearing sunglasses, ensuring you have adequate supplies of water, keeping your windscreen clear of grease or grime inside and out, and watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists.
Anyone with questions or concerns about cancer can contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 or email supportline@irishcancer.ie
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It’s turns out that internet misinformation is far more deadly than anyone had imagined. Critical thinking should be taught at all schools from a young age.
@Simon Power: unfortunately it doesn’t matter if they teach it in schools , what they learn at home will super seed it
@Simon Power: Yes, but in America there are additional cultural, ideological, political and religious factors leading to citizens refusing the vaccines. It’s not a nation. It’s a collection of sub-societies each with their own identities.
@Simon Power: Having the internet without being able to think critically, is like having the university library without having the university, or having a Ferrari bit not knowing how to drive. The once quaint “Educated in the university of life… ” cliche is turning out to be the nightmare very few could.have envisaged.
@Simon Power: the terrible irony here is that critical thinking has been actively discouraged by the likes of you, critical thinking does not mean blind obedience to whatever the government says.
If you’re suggesting that people who refuse the vaccine are incapable of critical thinking but assert that those who took the vaccine have demonstrated critical thinking, then you are a lost cause.
We’ve had almost 2 years of this and instead of solely relying on a vaccine, we could have gotten our house in order, poor nutrition and obesity are huge contributors to covid deaths….a nationwide campaign for obese people to lose weight and everyone else to just eat better would have been a great idea.
@Dan Broderick: The type of “critical thinking” you’re talking about is the same kind of critical thinking that lead to climate change denial. Proper critical thinking allows people to evaluate what they do know as apart from what they don’t. It also tells us that there are people better placed than ourselves to make these highly specialised judgements. Your type of critical thinking is all about speculation and trawling the web for the lone voice in a thousand that agrees with your speculation. That’s not critical thinking. It’s not even logical thinking.
@Vonvonic: I clearly have too much free time today if I’m responding to you but you’re demonstrating willful ignorance here.
I recommend a multi faceted approach to dealing with Covid, a physically fit person who eats a healthy and varied diet and gets out in nature daily but declines the vaccine for whatever reason, is doing more to help themselves than an obese person who continues to eat crap, watches TV 15 hours a day but gets the vaccine.
If you’re going to ridicule a healthy person for declining the vaccine and accepting their increased risk of getting ill with Covid, then why not ridicule every fat person for actively choosing ill health through negligence?
It’s all about personal responsibility!
@Dan Broderick: Ridicule?. You don’t need to get precious Dan. We’re all grown ups on here. If you dish it, you can surely take it. Critical thinking would tell us that the vaccination program has been a huge success. It also tells us that vaccinaton is the reason we’re able to open society next week. As for diet. Everyone knows that a healthy lifestyle and a good diet are beneficial for good health outcomes. You don’t need to be an expert for that. In one breath you’re saying the government should be promoting better lifestyles and diets. On the other you’re saying that we shouldn’t believe everything the government tells us. That’s some paradox
@Simon Power: aside from misinformation you’d wonder how many of those 70 million would be taking it if it was the orange lad pushing it instead of sleepy joe. A lot, I’d wager, despite the republicans shiting on ad nauseum about the Democrats politicising the virus.
Biden really hasn’t got a handle on this at all.
@LaoisWeather: Very hard to fix stoopid
@LaoisWeather: What’s he going to do? Going around and personally vaccinated every conservative who refuses to be vaccinated? His grasp of the situation is leaps and bounds better than Trump.
The most problematic states are states with a Republican majority. They have the lowest vaccinate rates.
@LaoisWeather: far better than the mango m0r0n . Remember him? Over 500,000 died on his watch in a year. The rate of people dying has obviously slowed down!
So Biden is going at about the same death rate as Trump was.
@bread of heaven: I’d suggest looking at the political history of the deceased. There is a distinct over representation of republicans.
@bread of heaven:
Unvaccinated people are dying at the same rate as they always were.
Pity there’s no vaccine for stoopidity.
@bread of heaven: eh, no! Trump had over half a million in a year! Biden ain’t gonna get close to that.
have your say