FIRST SAY:
“Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”
― Abraham Lincoln
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International news reports tell of a brutal, scorching heat wave in Mecca, especially during the hajj that ended a few days ago.
India Today said that of the more than 1,000 deaths reported due to heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses, some 650 were Egyptians. The temperature last week in the city ranged from 49 degrees Centigrade to 50 degrees, and Mecca continued to reel under intense heat.
Sources said 90 fatalities were from India. And several thousand more pilgrims are still being treated for heatstroke until today.
In Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed yesterday that a 37-year-old Filipina has died due to extremely hot weather conditions while attending the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Reports said the woman, based in Riyadh, died on June 16 and was buried several days later. She was among the more than 1,000 casualties.
“So far, only one female Riyadh-based Filipino pilgrim died of natural causes (heatstroke) in Makkah,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a television news report.
The DFA said it has sent a team to the Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia to assist Filipinos in this year’s hajj pilgrimage.
The start of summer in the northern hemisphere has been terribly hot. Last year saw record high temperatures in Europe, the United States, and even Japan, reminding one and sundry that the threat of global warming is real. Historic high temperatures were predicted for Florence, Bologna and Rome and other cities as authorities aired that warning that Italians must prepare for “the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time.”
Regions of France, Germany, Spain and Poland are baking in searing temperatures, and Greece is also roasting.
In the United States, the powerful heatwave could stretch from Texas to the west coast, with Arizona and Las Vegas getting hit hard.
Also, the Asian region is sweltering, and people are dying from the heatwave that is sweeping this part of the globe. Heat indices hovering between 40 to 50 degrees Centigrade are being felt in countries near the equator, such as India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, eastern part of China, and the Philippines.
Several people have died of heat stroke in India. The rains have started to arrive in parts of Luzon and the Visayas, but the daytime temperature in most cities is still high.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said temperatures of 42 to 51 degrees Centigrade are already concerning. Heat waves of 52 degrees Centigrade and above are downright dangerous to humans, animals, birds and plants or crops.
Vulnerable people may suffer dizziness, malaise, loss of consciousness and even death due to heat stroke.
In the Philippines, high temperatures of up to 47 degrees Centigrade had been recorded in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro and Butuan City. Meanwhile, the heat indices in Laoag City, General Santos City and Tacloban City were notched from 43 to 45 degrees Centigrade.
Heat strokes are most likely to strike at young children age 4 and below because their Central Nervous System is not yet fully developed.
Senior citizens especially those with co-morbidities are also very susceptible to heat stroke, this time because their Central Nervous System is degenerating with age.
It has become incumbent, therefore, for older children and young adults to become knowledgeable on the symptoms of heat stroke so that they can respond quickly and effectively whenever there is a need to help a victim.
Among the tell tale signs of heat stroke are high body temperature, redness of the facial area, slurred speech, difficulty in breathing, muscle cramps and general weakness of the body.
Among the first-aid remedies recommended by experts is moving the patient indoors or under the shade; let the patient lie down with the legs higher than the body and give the patient plenty of cold water to drink, plus a cold compress.
It would be best, of course, to limit the time spent outdoors, especially now that the heat wave is at its most intense. Avoid drinking tea, coffee, softdrinks and alcoholic drinks.
Wearing loose and light-colored clothes will also help. One should also refrain from vigorous sports or exercise under the sun, use sunscreen, and schedule one's heavy work in the morning or late afternoon when the weather outside is cooler.
Let us remember that extreme heat can damage our vital organs such as the heart, kidney, lungs, etc. and may even be a cause of death.
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It is really concerning that business establishments like Maxicare, Jollibee, and several banks have become victims of computer system and website hacking. This is on top of the hacking activities done to government agencies and political groups like the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, National Security Council, Philhealth, Comelec, Maritime Industry Authority, etc.
We wonder what our computer experts in the Department of Information and Communication Technology and our law enforcement agencies are doing to stem the tide of cybecrime in the country.
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