As much of southern British Columbia swelters under a heat wave, health officials are warning parents to pay extra attention to their children’s health and safety.
Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for dozens of B.C. communities, with daytime highs in parts of the interior forecast up to 40 C, and highs on parts of the South Coast as high as 37 C away from the water.
Dr. Ran Goldman, a pediatric emergency physician at BC Children’s Hospital, said children are among the most vulnerable populations during heat events.
“That’s because they are playing outside and busy, sometimes forget themselves, they don’t always recognize the signs that they’re dehydrated, and their skin is rather thin, and they can get burns really quickly,” he explained.
Because dehydration is one of the most common ailments children face in hot weather, parents need to know the key warning signs, he said.
Those include cracked lips, fever, headaches, dizziness, and dark or little urine.
“That could be the first sign to make sure they need to drink more,” he said.
But direct health concerns from the heat aren’t the only concern during hot weather, Goldman said.
Another critical concern is falls from windows. Goldman said BC Children’s Hospital has already treated 12 cases of child window falls this year alone.
“Falling from windows is really dangerous for children,” he said.
“The injuries that we do see at BC Children’s are head injuries, broken bones, things that may leave a lasting effect on chidlren, so we need to prevent those.”
In homes with children, he said windows should only be cracked open wide enough to allow a breeze, but not wide enough for a child to climb through.
Parents and caregivers should also ensure furniture or anything else that can be climbed on is pulled well away from windows, he added.
Drowning is another major threat during hot weather.
Goldman said taking children to the beach or a pool is an excellent way to help cool kids down. But he said anytime children are near water — even small pools that seem harmless — parents need to ensure they’ve always got eyes on them.
Environment Canada forecasts the ridge of high pressure causing the current high temperatures should linger through Wednesday, before beginning to break down on Thursday when temperatures should drop a few degrees.
Children, along with seniors, pregnant people, people with chronic illnesses and people who work outdoors, are considered to be at the highest risk.