Help During Heatwaves: Pharmacies Should Assist
The president of the Chamber of Pharmacists, Ulrike Mursch-Edlmayr, announced on Thursday that a new information campaign will be launched. This includes new consultation guidelines for pharmacies and offers flyers with instructions for correct behavior in high temperatures to customers.
Heatwaves Affect Many People
The new consultation guidelines are based on a multi-page professional document "with information on heat-associated illnesses - ranging from heatstroke to minor sunstroke to heat rash." Mursch-Edlmayr wants pharmacies to function as a first point of contact for heat in the future. Additionally, the Ministry of Health has reactivated the free heat hotline at 0800-880-800 this year. Meanwhile, the first heatwave of the year has started in Austria - with temperatures already exceeding 35 degrees at the beginning of the week. Such temperatures particularly affect the elderly or chronically ill, as well as pregnant women and young children.
"Attention, Heat!": Pharmacies Inform About the Impact of Heat on Medications
Heat is immediately noticeable on the body. However, at high temperatures, medications may no longer work - or even cause harm. If medicines are poorly stored, their effect can change. Flyers and posters in pharmacies are now intended to point this out. With a bold headline "Attention, Heat!" the flyers provide instructions on the correct handling of medications in high temperatures. Medicines should not be stored in the bathroom, but in the coolest room of the apartment. Additionally, one should check for discoloration or bloated packages before use. This is particularly dangerous for medications for blood pressure or those that potentially disrupt the body's temperature regulation.
In addition, "Heat Tips for Everyday Life" highlight, among other things, drinking two liters of water per day, eating lightly in hot weather, and staying in the shade. For Mursch-Edlmayr, a "uniform wording" of the essential information is important. Therefore, the Chamber of Pharmacists is advocating for new package inserts, both digital and physical: "Today's package insert is a collection of regulations and information, printed in small print on paper and difficult to understand if you don't have expertise."
Other Vulnerable Groups
Currently, work is being done on a heat regulation to better protect workers, reported Health Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) during the press conference. They are particularly at risk. "It increases the risk of accidents. We know that customer aggression increases during heat phases. We have decreased performance and significant complaint possibilities," said the minister. This particularly affects people who work outdoors. The risk of becoming seriously ill, such as with skin cancer, also increases.
Heinz Fuchsig from the Medical Association agreed - with the occupational physician fundamentally warning against outdoor activities like sports in excessively high temperatures. "Interestingly, boys aged ten to 19 are particularly at risk for a fatal heatstroke." Fuchsig advocates canceling school sports outdoors from 30 degrees or moving them to the morning.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.