The New Mexico Department of Health (NMHealth) urges New Mexicans to take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses.
Source: New Mexico Department of Health
Temperatures in much of New Mexico are rising again with many areas in northern and southern parts of the state being forecasted by the National Weather Service to reach over 100°F in the southern parts of the state and 95°F or over in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Farmington. The heat wave will be a prolonged event expected to last through the end of August.
“We continue to see an increase in heat illnesses in New Mexico. Since April 1 there have been over 750 heat-related visits to emergency departments around the state,” said Srikanth Paladugu, Bureau Chief of NMHealth Environmental Health Epidemiology. “Protect yourself and others when it’s hot outside by doing what you can to stay cool and hydrated and be able to recognize heat-related illness symptoms when you see them.”
Heat-related illness symptoms include:
- Cold, pale, and clammy skin.
- Fast, weak pulse.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Muscle cramps.
- Tiredness or weakness.
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
- Fainting (passing out).
Here are precautions everyone should take, especially people at high risk of heat-related illnesses: outdoor workers, young children and infants, adults over 65 years old, and people with existing chronic health conditions or without access to air conditioning:
- Staying cool inside and/or in shade when possible.
- Keeping window shades drawn during the day to help keep the heat out.
- Drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol. Just as water hydrates you, alcohol dehydrates you.
- Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
- Scheduling outdoor activities for cooler times of the day.
- Pacing yourself.
- Never leaving children or pets in the car.
- Calling your local city and county government offices for any cooling stations available in your area.
- Having a plan to get somewhere with air conditioning, such as a library or friend’s house especially for older adults and people with medical needs.
- Helping people who have limited capacity to understand how to avoid heat-related illness.
You can find more information at NM-Tracking – Heat Related Illness and check the recently released heat-related dashboard to get current information on heat-related emergency departments visits as well as heat-related deaths. To track your heat risk, the National Weather Service HeatRisk map as well as the NWS-CDC HeatRisk tool provides a forecast of heat-related impacts.
