WIMBLEDON tennis with its strawberries and cream, cricket on the village green and rowing at Henley, all accompanied by Pimm’s and the inevitable rain, are traditional features of a British summer. But scientists predict that with a weakening Gulf Stream and changing intercontinental wind patterns, we may all need to adaptto Mediterranean-style beach life and boules in dusty squares.
Although the continentals are used to temperatures such as we had in the UK over the past weekend, and Paris is usually stuffier, more humid and hotter than London, a short heatwave over the holiday period last year killed 27,000 people, mainly the over-75s, across Europe.
Last year’s worst toll was in high summer, but research has indicated that the impact of a very hot period in May, June or July can be even more devastating, as people haven’t become acclimatised to the heat. The British will need to become accustomed to more than boules if granny is not going to be lost to this world while the family holidays on the Cornish Riviera.
A heatwave in 1976 increased the death rate in the UK by nearly 5 per cent for every degree that the temperature rose. Because the unrelenting hot weather lasted for 15 days, in contrast to the usual pattern of three days of sun followed by a thunderstorm, the number of excess deaths was almost twice as high as during any other heatwave.
During a heatwave the three most vulnerable groups are the aged (classified as those over 75), people who have chronic heart disease, and those with respiratory troubles. For every degree that the temperature rises above 21.5C (70.7F) the death rate among those with respiratory problems increases by 5.5 per cent over the average for that time of the year.
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Common sense is the answer to surviving hot weather. Don’t chase about unnecessarily, take it easy. Those who are especially vulnerable to the heat may find it cooler to stay indoors with a fan or air-conditioning.
Thirst and obvious sweating are poor guides to the amount of fluid lost, as much of this is imperceptible. In hot weather more fluids should be taken routinely. If there is excess sweating these fluids should be made just salty to the taste. Heavy drinkers, overweight and under-exercised people, and those with a history of suffering heat exhaustion or heat cramps (heatstroke is even more ominous), need to take special care.