The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Public Health, has issued warnings for high temperatures on different islands of the Canary Islands, including Lanzarote, within the 'Preventive Action Plan for the Effects of Excess Temperatures on Health'. The forecasts available this Thursday, September 28, highlight that there are health risk warnings in municipalities of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
In the case of Lanzarote, according to the Ministry of Health, the yellow alert will last from September 30 to October 4, with a small break on Tuesday, October 3, specifically in San Bartolomé.
Decalogue of recommendations
Vulnerability to high temperatures includes personal risk factors, such as being over 65 years of age, infants, pregnant women, etc., environmental, local and occupational factors, among others. The recommendations aimed at the vulnerable population especially are:
- Stay as long as possible in cool, shady or air-conditioned places, and cool off whenever necessary.
- Reduce physical activity and avoid outdoor sports during the central hours of the day.
- Drink water or liquids frequently, even if you are not thirsty and regardless of the physical activity you are doing.
- Avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol or that are very sugary, as they can promote dehydration.
- Pay special attention to: babies, children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as the elderly or people with diseases that may be aggravated by heat (such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, pathologies that make mobility difficult, dementia and other mental illnesses, as well as drug or alcohol abuse). Although anyone can suffer a problem related to heat.
- Wear light, loose-fitting clothing that allows perspiration.
- Do not leave anyone in a parked and closed vehicle (especially minors, the elderly or people with chronic diseases).
- Consult a health professional for symptoms that last more than an hour and may be related to high temperatures.
- Eat light meals that help replenish the salts lost through sweat (salads, fruits, vegetables, juices, etc.).
- Keep medicines in a cool place; heat can alter their composition and effects.
Other preventive plans in the Canary Islands
In the event of a forecast of high temperatures, the Government of the Canary Islands may activate this Plan for the Prevention of Excess Temperatures on People's Health, with health risk warnings, as well as other plans, such as the 'Specific Civil Protection Plan' and 'Emergency Care for Risks due to Adverse Weather Phenomena' (PEFMA), through the declaration of alert for a situation of risk to the population, property and the environment.
