Early heatwave singes North India, experts call for Covid-like monitoring of old and vulnerable

The India Meteorological Department’s heat wave warning for several states so early in the year has raised concerns among public health experts. The country has already witnessed its hottest March, and now the temperature in some parts of northern India is expected to touch 46°C. Temperature in the National Capital is also likely to hover between 44-45°C, fast approaching its record April temperature.
“Reduce your exposure to heat, avoid going out between 1-3 pm, drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty and wear white or light-coloured cotton clothes. Also, drink cooling beverages such as buttermilk, raw mango juice, mint water, lemon water, and ensure that your head is covered with a wet cloth if you are working outdoors,” suggested Dr Mahaveer Golechha, Nodal Officer, Centre of Excellence on Climate Change and Health, National Centre for Disease Control, Union Minry of Health and Family Welfare.

People also need to watch out for IMD advisories; they release weather forecasts for up to next five days for 1,000 cities in the country, he added.
A review meeting conducted the National Disaster Management Authority recently pointed out that there were “23 vulnerable states of which half were reporting cases of heat-related illnesses.”
Dr Golechha noted that state nodal officers in these parts have to be trained to ensure implementation of heat action plans across each drict for provision of public cooling areas, uninterrupted power supply and safe drinking water.
Dr Dileep Mavalankar, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar pointed to the need to track “all causes of mortality”. “Cities should monitor all mortality cause data daily along with data for hospital admissions and ambulance calls, to compare it with the last five years to get the real indication of heat stress on mortality,” he said.

People need to stay indoors and keep themselves hydrated. They must rush to the nearest health centre even if they experience moderate signs of heat-related illness, Dr Mavalankar said. “There is a special need to monitor the old and vulnerable just as it was done during Covid, as they can develop heat strokes even when sitting at home.”
This is an early heat wave and preparedness is usually low during months of March and April, said experts, urging the Central and state governments to focus on the issue, especially when IMD alerts are ‘orange (be prepared)’ and ‘red (take action)’, issuing warning advertisements in newspapers, television and radio. Effective action needs to be taken to prevent morbidity and mortality, experts said.