Due to high temperatures this summer, there have been cases of people being hospitalized for low blood oxygen after experiencing shortness of breath at night, according to social associations.
Average temperatures in April rose sharply across Myanmar, resulting in fainting and deaths from daytime heat stroke in regions and states, while many people were sent to the emergency unit of Yangon General Hospital for low oxygen levels at night after over-sweating, fatigue and an acute rise in body temperature, said Shwegon Yeikmon social welfare association.
“In previous summers, it was only hot during the day and not much at night. Now, in summer, it is hot both during the day and at night. People, especially those in poor health, should be cautious. Symptoms include over-sweating, low oxygen level, fatigue, sudden rise in body temperature, fainting, and if there is no one around to help, it may even lead to death. There have been some recent cases. We sent some patients to the hospital – the first one was over 50, and the second one was over 30. The emergencies happened when they were at home alone. We sent them to the emergency ward of Yangon General Hospital. We advise all people to be careful. It is immeasurable how much life is worth,” said an official, giving compassionate advice.
People with underlying medical conditions like hypertension, diabetes, kidney or heart diseases and obesity should be more vigilant if they over-sweat, he added.
“I fell asleep all night with the fan on. When I woke up in the middle of the night, I was sweating, my mouth was dry, and I could hardly breathe. My suffering was relieved only after I drank water until my stomach was full and breathed a lot of air on the veranda,” a housewife in Yangon told The Global New Light of Myanmar (GNLM).
Since high temperatures can happen at night as well as during the day, people living in confined spaces without good ventilation are reportedly being advised to take extra precautions. — MT/ZN/ED
