SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 26 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Public Health and in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), reports this Monday that five municipalities of Gran Canaria –Agüimes, Mogán, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Santa Lucía de Tirajana and Aldea de San Nicolás– will be under red warning due to high temperatures from next Tuesday until Thursday.
In addition, those of Artenara, Ingenio, Santa Brígida, Tejeda, Telde, Valsequillo and Vega de San Mateo will be in orange notice.
In the case of Tenerife, it will be Arona, Granadilla de Abona, La Orotava, San Miguel de Abona and Vilaflor that will be on orange notice this Tuesday and Wednesday; in Fuerteventura, in the municipality of Pájara, on the same days, plus Antigua, Puerto del Rosario and Tuineje on yellow notice while in Lanzarote, it will be San Bartolomé and Tías that are on yellow notice.
The General Directorate of Public Health, which has coordinated the Preventive Actions Plan for the Effects of Excess Temperatures on Health in the Canary Islands since 2004, has established an epidemiological surveillance system of the impact of high temperatures on the health of the population, coordinated with the care and emergency centers of the Canary Islands, as well as notifying these centers and the affected municipalities of the forecast of alert situations.
The temperature thresholds established in 2023 are 33 degrees Celsius for the province of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and 34 degrees Celsius for the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, collects a note from the Executive.
Vulnerability to high temperatures includes personal risk factors, such as being over 65 years of age, breastfeeding or pregnant, and environmental, local, and occupational risk factors, among others.
Thus, the recommendations addressed to the vulnerable population are to stay as long as possible in cool places, in the shade or with air conditioning, and to refresh themselves whenever necessary; reduce physical activity and avoid practicing outdoor sports in the central hours of the day; drink water or fluids frequently, even if you don’t feel thirsty and regardless of the physical activity you do; avoid caffeinated, alcoholic or highly sugary drinks, as they can promote dehydration; pay special attention to babies, minors, pregnant or lactating women, as well as the elderly or people with diseases that can be aggravated by heat such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, pathologies that impede mobility, dementia and others mental illness, as well as drug or alcohol abuse); wear light, loose clothing that allows perspiration; not leave anyone in a parked and closed vehicle –especially people who are minors, the elderly, or people with chronic illnesses–; consult a health professional in the event of symptoms that last for more than an hour and that may be related to high temperatures; eat light meals that help replace the salts lost through sweating –salads, fruits, vegetables, juices– and keep medicines in a cool place because heat can alter their composition and effects.
