Paris (AFP)

While the French are recovering from containment and the virus has not disappeared, the heat and heat waves return and the risks that go with it, especially for the most fragile. Prevention actions are essential.

- Drink, yes but not too much

You must quench your thirst without waiting to be thirsty, to compensate for the lost water (through perspiration, breathing and urine). Drink, yes, but not excessively to avoid edema and other harmful consequences.

So be careful not to "drown" the elders, on the pretext of making them drink enough.

On the other hand, avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks which have a diuretic effect.

Food contributes to hydration with vegetables and fruits (cucumber, tomato, lettuce, watermelon, melon ..) and dairy products (yogurts, white cheeses).

- Cool off by wetting your body

You should refresh yourself by wetting your body regularly (at least the face and forearms) and taking showers, but not with water that is too cold. At the time it feels good. But beware of thermal shock ...

The same goes for untimely dives in a too cool river or lake, according to the National Federation of Firefighters of France (FNSPF). We run the risk of drowning by hydrocution.

- Stay and sleep cool

At home, leave shutters, curtains and windows closed during the day and open in the evening and at night if it is less warm.

Avoid going out during the hottest hours and protect yourself from the sun.

Sports and intense efforts should also be avoided in the middle of the dungeon.

Bad idea: sleep next to the fan. Very dry air can dry out the sinuses or throat after several hours, and it is hardly recommended for allergy sufferers exposed to a mixture of impurities.

With the Covid-19 which has not disappeared, detailed rules on the technical level (air conditioning, central air treatment, filters, maintenance ...) have been issued by the health authorities and the High Committee for Health public.

The use of a ventilator is recommended, including with misting, in a room where there is only one person. It must be stopped before another person enters the room, notes the French Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology (SFGG).

On the other hand, in collective spaces of small volume, closed or semi-closed, the fan is contraindicated when several people are there, even if they wear a mask, as soon as the air flow is directed towards them .

In open spaces, collective misting systems are possible, subject to maintaining the recommended physical distance.

For air conditioning, it is necessary to ensure compliance with maintenance and to find the most efficient filter in terms of health.

"You have to ventilate, ventilate, and have ventilation systems that are appropriate in places where you cannot ventilate," summarizes Professor Arnaud Fontanet, epidemiologist at the Institut Pasteur.

- Beware of overheating in the youngest -

Children, especially infants "should never be left in direct sunlight or left alone in a vehicle", insist the health authorities. The temperature can quickly exceed 30 degrees. The risk is fatal.

"Red face, sweating, crying, discomfort" are the first signs that show that babies are starting to suffer from thirst and heat, according to the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics (AFPA).

- In case of discomfort

Do not ignore warning signs that the body is starting to suffer from heat (cramps, fatigue, weakness and / or unusual insomnia) and think about drinking, cool down. Call the doctor if they worsen or persist for more than an hour.

Severe headache, nausea vomiting, incoherent speech, loss of consciousness, convulsions, temperature above 39 ° C: it's heat stroke. Call 15 (the Samu).

Finally, in case of fever during a heat wave, taking paracetamol (Doliprane, etc.) must be validated by a health professional, because of Covid-19, notes the SFGG.

© 2020 AFP