THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 5, 2023 at 17:52 JST
A woman uses a parasol to shield herself from the sun’s rays and avoid heatstroke. (Masaru Komiyaji)
Heatstroke claimed 35 lives in July, highlighting a recent report that the month was the hottest in Japan in more than a century.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 34,084 people were taken by ambulance to hospitals during the month for treatment. The figure was 1.25 times higher than in July 2022.
About 42 percent of the victims were rushed to hospitals from their homes. Around 17 percent had collapsed on the roadside and 12 percent were taken from outdoor public facilities, such as train stations and concert venues.
The hospital admissions were the highest since 2018, another record-breaking hot July when 54,220 people were rushed to medical facilities.
NIGHTMARE AT THE BEACH
Heatstroke can strike even those who seem to be doing their best to avoid the condition.
A woman in her 40s living in Osaka Prefecture came down with heatstroke in July while resting in the shade under a tree.
She and her family had gone to the beach. She sat in the shade to watch after her children while they went swimming. The woman said she first felt numbness in her feet, which gradually rose up through her body and reached her face.
The woman lost the ability to speak and her frantic family rushed her to a nearby hospital by car.
The woman was put on an IV drip and did not require an overnight stay.
“I was really scared because I was sitting in the shade and taking liquids,” she said.
EXPERT ADVICE
Naotoshi Sugimoto, a professor of rehabilitation science at Kanazawa University who knows about heatstroke, urged people to avoid outdoor activities during the day and consume liquids when it is swelteringly hot.
Sugimoto also advised keeping the bedroom cool when sleeping at night.
Exercise over the long-term, he said, puts on muscle, which in turn helps to prevent heatstroke, especially among the elderly.
“Adding muscle will help the body retain liquids and reduce the risk of coming down with heatstroke,” he added.
(This article was written by Seiko Sadakuni, Ryuichiro Fukuoka and Hiroshi Nakano.)
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