Early onset of summer: People throng Lahore canal to beat the heat

45% people visiting hospitals came with respiratory problems

LAHORE: Lahore canal, which had been wearing a deserted look for the past few months, became the centre of attraction for hundreds of Lahoris who hit the water to beat the heat.

“A sudden change in temperature can cause serious health problems. For instance, it can dry the skin and cause eye infections,” Mayo Hospital’s ENT specialist Dr Owais Samee told The Express Tribune.

Around 45% of the people who visited the hospital recently came due to respiratory problems and muscles spasms caused by the change of temperature on Wednesday, he claimed.

“Weather in the city is very hot during the day, while nights are cool. This can cause various health issues. Bathing in the canal can aggravate people’s health issues,” he said.

He suggested that school going children must wear masks and avoid direct sun exposure as it can cause heat strokes. People who have asthma must take their medicines before going out and drink boiled or mineral water and avoid eating from roadside eateries.

“When it is too hot, the human body is incapable of producing sweat to get rid of heat, making it dangerous even for healthy people to stay outside for a long time,” he said. The doctor added several people who visited hospital on Wednesday had asthma attacks, runny noses, muscular pains, flu and sore throats.

The Pakistan Metrological department did not issue any advisory report or warning alert regarding sudden weather change in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2017.