With summer in full swing and the country's main vacation week upon us, the public is warned to be careful in the heat as temperatures are sometimes in the 90s or higher.
"To beat the heat, they should stay out of it," Dr. Jeffrey Narmi, emergency department physician at both Schuylkill Medical Center locations, said Wednesday.
Exercise should be taken in the early morning or evening when it is cooler, and when working outside, hydration means survival.
"Fluids. Fluids. Fluids. Fluids," Narmi said.
Water is best but Gatorade also is effective, especially if you have been outside. Wearing light-colored, loose fitting clothing is also important.
So far this season, Narmi said some people have come to the hospitals with heat-related symptoms but not many, and none of those cases were serious.
"It's not like we've been inundated with heat-related symptoms," he said.
Air conditioning is also important in beating the heat. If none is available, fans will do.
"Don't just sit there with stagnant, hot air," Narmi said.
The elderly and those in poor health suffer more from the heat.
If you feel ill, seek shade if you are outside. Call your family doctor or, if needed, go to a local hospital.
"If they need to, we are always here," he said about visiting the hospital.
Children should not be left alone in vehicles, where temperatures rise rapidly.
As of June 24, 15 children have died this year from heat stroke after being left in vehicles in the U.S., according to the website www.kidsandcars.org. Last year, 32 children died, the website said.
Heat stroke, which can be fatal, occurs when extreme heat compromises the body's ability to regulate temperature.
Within 10 minutes, the inside of a car can reach 109 degrees if it is 90 degrees outside, according to The Weather Channel's website at www.weather.com.
"However, it is important to note that the outside temperature does not have to be hot in order for a car to become an oven-like death trap. Even temperatures considered mild can lead to death during an extended period of time," the website said.
Even at 73 degrees, the temperatures inside a vehicle can reach 120 degrees in 30 minutes, according to The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Barbara Umlauf, Hillside SPCA director, said Thursday that the shelter has been getting calls daily about people concerned for the health of pets, both cats and dogs.
The calls range from no water to lack of shade or if the dog is entangled to whatever it is attached to.
Tina Royland, an employee, said the number of calls vary.
If a pet is outside, providing fresh water and shelter is essential.
"Make sure they have someone who can check on them to make sure they have adequate water," Royland said.
Walking a dog in the morning or evening is best because it is typically cooler, they said.
"If you wouldn't walk barefoot on the macadam, it's probably too hot for your dogs. It can burn their pads," Royland said.
Temperatures for today are expected to be in the 80s while Sunday's forecast projects temperatures in the upper 70s. There is a 30 percent chance of rain both days, according to the National Weather Service's website at www.weather.gov.
Although it was hot this week, it was not a heat wave, which is defined as roughly three consecutive days of 90 degrees or above, said Richard Grumm, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, State College.