THE Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Employment yesterday issued separate advisories related to the summer heat.

The DOH cautioned the public about the adverse effects the summer season can cause the body. "Pag mainit ang kapa-ligiran, maaaring sumunod na ang temperatura ng katawan. Kapag umabot ito ng 41 degrees, maaaring mauwi ito sa heat stroke," warned Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of the DOH-National Epidemiology Center.

The weather bureau has placed average temperature these days at 35 degrees Celsius with the possibility of it climbing to 40 degrees. As if that were not enough, reports came out yesterday that rotating brownouts might be in the offing due to the shutdown of one of the receiving terminals of the natural gas facility in Malampaya, Palawan.

This combination could cause heat stroke, also known as sunstroke and hyperthermia, which occurs when the body’s heat-regulating mechanisms become overwhelmed by too much heat arising from a humid environment, dehydration and excessive sun exposure. Initial symptoms include warm skin, fainting, dizziness, weakness and headache. These could further develop to high fever, rapid heartbeat, convulsion, delirium and unconsciousness.

Tayag said those who suffer from heat stroke should be brought promptly to the hospital since it is a medical emergency. He also advised the public to wear loose, thin, light-colored clothes and wide-brimmed hats outdoors and to drink plenty of cool fluids.

DOLE, on the other hand, said they will bring their greater modular access (GMA) jobs center or kiosks inside airconditioned areas like shopping malls to lessen the burden of jobseekers, if only that caused by summer heat. "The kiosks are primarily designed to operate in malls and public places as part of the DOLE’s efforts to bring employment services closer and accessible to people on the go particularly those actively seeking employment," Roque said.