Know the Signs of Heat Stroke
2023-07-15
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1The American Southwest is experiencing extremely high temperatures and that has health officials concerned.
2Along the U.S.-Mexico border, federal agents reported 10 deaths in early July.
3Another 45 people had to be rescued from the heat.
4The city of Phoenix, Arizona may be on its way to breaking a record for most back-to-back days with a high temperature over 43 degrees Celsius.
5The current record was set in 1974.
6Even morning low temperatures in Phoenix are tying historic records.
7Health officials are advising people to limit how much time they spend outdoors and to know the warning signs of heat sickness.
8Common signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke are heavy sweating and dizziness. Uncontrolled muscle movements and vomiting are also common.
9Heat stroke is a serious condition that happens when the body loses its ability to control temperature.
10This includes losing the ability to sweat.
11As a person's body temperature reaches 39 degrees Celsius, their skin gets hot and red.
12Their heart rate speeds up.
13Their head might hurt and they may feel sick to their stomach, feel confused or even lose consciousness.
14Jon Femling is an emergency medicine doctor and scientist at the University of New Mexico.
15He told the Associated Press that the body tries to cool itself by pumping blood to the skin.
16Also, as a person breathes heavily, they lose fluids and become dehydrated.
17A lot of sweating also leads to the loss of important nutrients, such as sodium and potassium.
18Femling said that, at first, the muscles feel tired.
19Then organs like the kidneys, spleen and liver can start to become damaged and stop working.
20At the most severe level, the brain becomes affected.
21Experts say it is important for people to be able to recognize when others may be suffering from heat stroke.
22That is because people suffering from the condition might not realize they are in danger.
23Confusion could influence their thinking.
24If heat stroke is suspected, call 911 for emergency services.
25Try to lower the person's body temperature with a cool, wet cloth or a cool bath.
26Older people, children and those with health conditions face greater risk from high temperatures.
27High heat puts extra pressure on the cardiovascular system.
28The cardiovascular system includes the heart and blood vessels.
29During extreme heat, experts urge people to stay indoors and to seek air-conditioned buildings.
30They also suggest drinking more water than usual, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and eating lighter meals.
31Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) are trying to better understand the effects of extreme heat on the body.
32They use a special mannequin called ANDI that has about 30 sensors.
33It is designed to operate like a human and even to sweat.
34Jenni Vanos is a professor at ASU's School of Sustainability.
35She said her team is trying to understand how people deal with extreme heat.
36They use ANDI and a "warm room," where temperatures can reach 60 degrees Celsius, to study the effects of heat.
37Vanos said measuring short- and long-wave radiation in the environment can tell researchers how much a surface will heat up during the day.
38She added that means finding shade is a very important part of reducing the effects of heat on the human body.
39Changes in weather often ease waves of extreme heat.
40In South Asia, the monsoon winds bring rain.
41But in the American Southwest, the El Niño weather event this year might prevent expected summer thunderstorms.
42Sam Meltzer is a National Weather Service meteorologist.
43He said the coming weather will depend on winds from the Gulf of California.
44He added that summer storms might be delayed this year.
45I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The American Southwest is experiencing extremely high temperatures and that has health officials concerned. 2Along the U.S.-Mexico border, federal agents reported 10 deaths in early July. Another 45 people had to be rescued from the heat. 3The city of Phoenix, Arizona may be on its way to breaking a record for most back-to-back days with a high temperature over 43 degrees Celsius. The current record was set in 1974. Even morning low temperatures in Phoenix are tying historic records. 4Signs of heat-related sickness 5Health officials are advising people to limit how much time they spend outdoors and to know the warning signs of heat sickness. 6Common signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke are heavy sweating and dizziness. Uncontrolled muscle movements and vomiting are also common. 7Heat stroke is a serious condition that happens when the body loses its ability to control temperature. This includes losing the ability to sweat. 8As a person's body temperature reaches 39 degrees Celsius, their skin gets hot and red. Their heart rate speeds up. Their head might hurt and they may feel sick to their stomach, feel confused or even lose consciousness. 9Jon Femling is an emergency medicine doctor and scientist at the University of New Mexico. He told the Associated Press that the body tries to cool itself by pumping blood to the skin. Also, as a person breathes heavily, they lose fluids and become dehydrated. A lot of sweating also leads to the loss of important nutrients, such as sodium and potassium. 10Femling said that, at first, the muscles feel tired. Then organs like the kidneys, spleen and liver can start to become damaged and stop working. At the most severe level, the brain becomes affected. 11Experts say it is important for people to be able to recognize when others may be suffering from heat stroke. That is because people suffering from the condition might not realize they are in danger. Confusion could influence their thinking. 12If heat stroke is suspected, call 911 for emergency services. Try to lower the person's body temperature with a cool, wet cloth or a cool bath. 13Older people, children and those with health conditions face greater risk from high temperatures. High heat puts extra pressure on the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular system includes the heart and blood vessels. 14During extreme heat, experts urge people to stay indoors and to seek air-conditioned buildings. They also suggest drinking more water than usual, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and eating lighter meals. 15Learning limits 16Researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) are trying to better understand the effects of extreme heat on the body. They use a special mannequin called ANDI that has about 30 sensors. It is designed to operate like a human and even to sweat. 17Jenni Vanos is a professor at ASU's School of Sustainability. She said her team is trying to understand how people deal with extreme heat. 18They use ANDI and a "warm room," where temperatures can reach 60 degrees Celsius, to study the effects of heat. 19Vanos said measuring short- and long-wave radiation in the environment can tell researchers how much a surface will heat up during the day. She added that means finding shade is a very important part of reducing the effects of heat on the human body. 20Summer storms could ease heat 21Changes in weather often ease waves of extreme heat. In South Asia, the monsoon winds bring rain. But in the American Southwest, the El Niño weather event this year might prevent expected summer thunderstorms. 22Sam Meltzer is a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said the coming weather will depend on winds from the Gulf of California. He added that summer storms might be delayed this year. 23I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 24Susan Montoya Bryan reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 25_____________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27sweat -v. to release water from the skin to cool the body 28dizziness -n. a feeling of losing balance and falling 29vomit -v. to involuntarily expel what is in the stomach because of a sick feeling 30confused -adj. to be unable to think clearly 31consciousness -n. the state of being awake and knowing what is going on around you 32mannequin -n. a device that looks like a human body that is often used in experiments to observe experiments' effects on a body 33professor n. a teacher at a college or university who has certain privileges related to employment 34meteorologist -n. a scientist who talks about the weather and atmospheric conditions 35_____________________________________________________________________ 36We want to hear from you. 37Here is how our comment system works: 38Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.