Emergency Services Strained as Heat Wave Hits Belgrade
As temperatures climb, Belgrade's emergency medical service is logging far more calls, especially for people caught outdoors. Doctors urge residents to take care during the hottest hours.
- Belgrade's emergency medical service is fielding a sharply higher number of calls, especially for people taken ill outdoors.
- Doctors advise staying out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, drinking enough fluids and wearing light clothing.
- Moving suddenly from heat into heavily air-conditioned rooms is a serious shock to the body.
- During heat waves the risk of heart attack, stroke, thrombosis and heat stroke rises.
With a heat wave forecast and temperatures holding well above the seasonal norm for days, Belgrade’s emergency medical crews are logging a markedly higher number of calls. Most of the interventions involve people who fell ill while out in public, on streets, at bus stops and open-air markets where there is no shade. Doctors are urging residents to take the warnings seriously and to be careful during the hottest hours.
Dr Goran Milosavljevic of the emergency service explains that the problem is not the temperature alone, but the fact that the body has not yet adjusted to summer conditions. After a cooler spell, the sudden heat catches the body unprepared, and its heat-regulation mechanisms do not kick in fast enough. That is why the first real heat wave usually causes the most trouble, even for people who normally feel fine.
Those with heart and circulatory conditions are particularly at risk, because in high temperatures the heart works under greater strain. The elderly, small children and people with chronic illnesses are also vulnerable, as their bodies struggle harder to maintain a fluid balance. Doctors note that the signs of heat exhaustion, dizziness, nausea, weakness and a racing heart, must not be ignored, as they can develop into something more serious.
How can you stay safe during the hottest part of the day?
The doctors’ advice is simple, yet it is often overlooked in practice. You should avoid going out in the sun when it is at its strongest, roughly from midday to late afternoon. If an outing cannot be postponed, the recommendation is light, pale, breathable clothing in which the skin can breathe, along with a covered head and enough water on hand.
Dr Milosavljevic stresses the importance of drinking water regularly, even before you feel thirsty, because thirst is already a sign that the body has begun to lose fluid. Alongside water, a lighter diet with more fruit and vegetables helps, while heavy, fatty meals should be avoided on days like these. Enough rest matters too, since fatigue places an additional burden on a body already coping with the heat.
One detail that is often missed is the sudden move from heat into heavily air-conditioned rooms. A difference of several degrees is a major shock to the body and can trigger problems ranging from headaches to respiratory trouble. Doctors therefore advise against setting the air conditioning to an extremely low temperature and recommend entering a cooled space gradually rather than all at once.
Why does the risk rise at the start of summer?
Although heat waves return every summer, the body goes through a fresh period of adjustment each year. In the first days of a heat wave, sweating and blood flow are not yet optimally tuned for shedding heat, so the body tires more quickly. After a few days most healthy people acclimatise, but that first surge is when the emergency service is busiest.
Doctors say most of the trouble can be avoided through sensible behaviour, planning errands outside the hottest hours and keeping an eye on elderly family members and neighbours who live alone. The heat is not harmless, but it is not unpredictable either, which is precisely why it is easier to prepare for in time.
Have you adjusted your daily routine to the forecast heat wave, and how do you protect yourself from the heat?
