WITH DANA from Valencia we saw how important they are weather warning systems. In his case, the Valencian Community sent the alerts too late, and this, as we have seen, led to more casualties. Subsequent cases that occurred, especially in Catalonia, Andalusia and again in Valencia, led to a very rapid warning to the population to move to safety and not to go beyond what was necessary. But in any case we are talking about rain warnings. This is not the only meteorological phenomenon that can be hazardous to health. There are others associated, for example, with extreme temperatures. For this reason, the Ministry of Health has just launched a new cold warning system.
with him Cold planit was calculated for each Spanish province threshold below which low temperatures may affect health citizens. It’s important to note that there is a lot of talk about the risks of heat waves, but cold temperatures can affect health even more than high temperatures.
That is why, from today, we can subscribe to a cold alert system with which we will receive email or SMS whenever the temperature in our area drops too much. Unlike rain alerts, it is not enough to turn on alerts on your mobile phone. You need to register on the page provided for this by the Ministry of Health.
When will cold weather warnings be issued?
To calculate when cold alerts will be issued, the relationship between Time series of mortality and temperature at the provincial level. This means that historical records are studied, calculating at what temperature the mortality rate increases due to cold-related causes.
So they set four risk levelswhich will be announced to the public using a color system: 0/no risk (gray), 1/low risk (light blue), 2/medium risk (medium blue) and 3/high risk (dark blue).
New recommendations
Citizens who wish to do this will be able to receive cold alerts. But this is not the only new thing that Ministry of Health in this sense. They were also announced new recommendations which are added to the annual rate when temperatures begin to drop.
Outdoors recommended breathe through your nose, not your mouthsince the air in the nose is warmed so much that it does not reach the lungs like cold air. In addition, breathing through the mouth can cause a sore throat, making it easier for possible viruses and other respiratory pathogens to enter.
Extreme measures are recommended Precautions in case of icingsince accidents from this cause are one of the leading causes of cold-related mortality.
The most vulnerable people are the same as during heat waves: elderly, sick, children and pregnant women. You should pay special attention to them.
Another important piece of information for which such specific recommendations have not previously been made relates to cloth. It is recommended to wear several thin layers of clothing instead of one thick one. It’s because it’s like that hot air bags between layers, which provides a greater feeling of warmth.
If they are to be used non-electric barbecues or fireplaces this is very important ventilate the house at least twice a day for at least 15 minutes. This prevents the accumulation of dangerous gases. In any case, traditional barbecues are highly not recommended; it is always better to use electric ones.
They should not be taken either. over-the-counter medicationsas they may even worsen the progression of respiratory infections. Yes, you should eat a healthy diet as this will help us prevent these infections. The same goes for the flu vaccine, which is recommended to everyone. over 65 years old.
Lastly, it is very important that we are aware of the weather in the area in which we live. This of course includes subscribing to the new system cold alerts. We don’t know if this will be necessary, but prevention will always be much better than cure.
Source: Hiper Textual
