Thiruvananthapuram, Saturday 13 March 2010: The Health Department has issued specific guidelines to be followed by the public in the case of children after several instances of sunburns, related skin and health problems due to the intense summer heat have been reported from various districts.

The department directed that schools make sure that drinking water is provided in plenty inside all classrooms, especially since it is the exam time. Schools have also been directed to avoid outdoor events like assembly or the drill.

Children should be encouraged to wear caps/hats while going out in the sun and as far as possible, they should be discouraged from playing in the hot sun. Intake of plenty of fluids is necessary for preventing dehydration and as far as possible, wear loose cotton clothes in light shades.

In case children faint after being in the hot sun, they should be shifted to the shade, given plenty of water and prompt medical attention should be sought. Medical officers at all health care institutions have been asked to be prepared to treat heat strokes and other such emergencies that may arise as summer intensifies, Director of Health Services M.K. Jeevan, said.

A scientific team appointed by the State government to study the reported cases of sunburn in some parts of the district has cited “direct exposure to the sun and the peculiar geographic conditions of the area coming under the Palakkad gap” as the reasons for sunburns.”

E.J. Scaria, head of the three-member scientific team of the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), said that the team had visited the areas and spoken to the victims. Preliminary studies had found that the cases were of “sunburn” and not “sunstroke,” he said.

He said all the victims had direct exposure to the sun with their shirts off. This probably led to ‘sunburn.’ As the direct rays of the sun fall on you, the temperature is much more than air temperature. He said the medical report had found that the cases were not due to dehydration.