The Tokyo Fire Department is urging residents to take precautions against heatstroke after 14 people in the capital fell ill and were treated at hospitals last week.
Patients ranged from teenagers to people in their 80s.
They included a teenage boy who collapsed after soccer practice, and a man in his 70s who became ill while driving his car after doing farm work. Some patients suffered heatstroke indoors, and 3 of the 14 were in serious condition.
Last summer, many people in Tokyo suffered heatstroke and died due to record high temperatures.
The fire department says the number of heatstroke cases rises noticeably when the temperature reaches 26 degrees Celsius, and the number surges when the mercury hits 28 degrees.
Residents are being asked to save electricity this summer because of expected power shortages triggered by the March earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing accident at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
But the fire department says air conditioners should be used when necessary, specifically when room temperatures rise to 28 degrees.
The fire department also says people who feel sick from the heat or notice that they are not sweating despite feeling hot should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011 17:09 +0900 (JST)
NHK World
[...] weeks earlier than usual, things started to really heat up. A report by NHK on June 8 mentions that 14 people in Tokyo were treated at hospitals in the first week of June, ranging from a teenager to someone in their 80’s. Three of the patients were in serious [...]
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