Heat wave to last until Wednesday

THE SCORCHING heat wave that has settled over Cyprus could cause health problems across the island, the head of the casualty department at Nicosia General Hospital warned yesterday.

Teams of doctors are on the alert and ready to tackle any health problems faced by the public due to the unbearable heat, but doctors are warning people to take precautionary measures against the high temperatures.

If you are going to exercise do so before 10am or after 7pm. It is important to drink plenty of water, even when you do not feel thirsty, in order to avoid dehydration, which is the main cause of heat exhaustion.

Remember to wear loose fitting clothing and light colours, as dark colours absorb heat. Wear high factor sunscreen of at least SPF15 on exposed areas of skin and wear a hat when outside.

Avoid drinks with caffeine and alcohol as they only make your thirstier. Eat less food.
Do not stay in the sun for longer than one hour and especially not between midday and 4pm.

The director of the weather services, Kyriacos Theofilou, said yesterday the heat wave was expected to last until Wednesday with temperatures reaching up to 44 degrees Celsius.

Over the weekend, people from Nicosia escaped to the coast and mountains to leave behind the stifling heat and burning sun. Theofilou said that on Sunday at 3pm a sudden burst of heat hit Nicosia making it almost unbearable to be anywhere but inside with the air conditioning, adding the heat was made worse by high humidity.

“July is always the hottest month, but the temperatures have reached a record level in 100 years,” said Theofilou.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.