Medical experts have advised people to reduce outdoor activities during the current heat wave to prevent sunstrokes due to dehydration.

Symptoms related to the condition include increase in body temperature, muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness and loss of unconsciousness if not treated, said Malaysian Medical Association honorary secretary-general Dr H Krishna Kumar.

“Children are more at risk as their immune systems are not as strong as adults. Children walking to school should use umbrellas to shield themselves from the heat,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur today. 

“Even with drinking plenty of water, outdoor activities are not advisable as water is lost more quickly through evaporation of sweat,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur  Pantai Hospital specialist  Dr David Quek Kwang Leng advised diabetic, heart and kidney patients to consult their doctors on how to take extra precautions during this period.

He recommended drinking more water, eating more fruits and vegetables, taking frequent showers to cool down the body and using sunblock.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department said that the hot and dry weather could be due to changing wind patterns and effects of the cyclonic storm Mahesan over the Bay of Bengal.

“We have just finished the April monsoon season and expect to enter the South-East monsoon at the end of this month. When the wind pattern stabilises, we will get more rain.

“Currently, the temperature in the Klang Valley is averaging around 35 degrees C but we can expect it to drop towards the end of the month,” it said.

- Bernama