In light of high and rising temperatures in the Grand Duchy, Luxembourg's Ministry of Health has issued guidelines concerning what to do in the event of a heatwave.
The Health Ministry has called on the population to be vigilant and to respect the following guidelines:
- Drink regularly and without waiting to be thirsty: minimum 1.5 litres per day, preferably mineral or sparkling water. As a supplement, you can drink lightly sweetened drinks (juice diluted by half with water, slightly sweetened infusions). Limit as much as possible the consumption of coffee / tea, drinks that are too rich in sugars / caffeine which have diuretic effects.
- Limit your exposure to the sun, especially during the hottest hours: covering your head and using an adequate sunscreen is also asvised in case of sun exposure.
- Avoid strenuous physical exertion and sports activities during the hottest hours.
- Protect the elderly around you. If you know of a fragile person living alone (family, neighbour, etc.), try to go and see them at least once a day during a strong heatwave to help them in particular to hydrate properly and check that the heat does not affect their health.
The Health Ministry recalled that high temperatures are likely to cause health problems for certain people, in particular the elderly, infants and people suffering from a chronic disease, such as heart disease or kidney disease.
Additional information about health problems in hot weather is available online (in French) at www.sante.lu/canicule or can be requested from the Health Directorate - Sanitary Inspection Division via tel.: 247-85653.
