The July heatwave has overwhelmed Almaty's ambulance service. Over 14 days, tens of thousands of calls were registered in the city. High temperatures led to exacerbations of chronic diseases among Almaty residents, with thousands of reports related to blood pressure and heart problems, and dozens of patients were rushed to hospitals with strokes. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to acting deputy director of the Almaty Ambulance Service Azamat Kurmanbekov, 33,600 calls were received in the first two weeks of July alone. Of these, 1,500 were related to high blood pressure, another 300 to cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease and acute myocardial infarction. Additionally, about 50 patients with acute cerebrovascular accidents were rushed to hospitals.
It is also noted that the number of heatstroke cases requiring an ambulance doubled.
The city's health department reminded that heat increases the risk of dehydration, food poisoning, intestinal infections, and exacerbates seasonal allergies.
"Special attention to their condition is recommended for patients with chronic diseases. They should strictly follow doctor's prescriptions, take medications regularly, monitor blood pressure and blood sugar levels, avoid overheating, and not miss scheduled consultations," the statement said.
Doctors advise avoiding direct sunlight from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. if possible, wearing lightweight clothing made of natural fabrics, a hat, and sunglasses.
It is equally important to maintain a drinking regimen. In the absence of medical contraindications, adults are recommended to drink at least two liters of water per day, limiting alcohol, sugary carbonated drinks, and large amounts of coffee.
"If severe headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, high body temperature, or loss of consciousness occur, immediately move the person to a cool place, start cooling the body, give water in small sips, and call an ambulance," doctors recommend.
The heat has persisted for several weeks over most of Kazakhstan. Incidentally, this summer Astana already broke one temperature record. On June 23, the maximum air temperature reached a record +36.8°C, exceeding the previous record for that date by 0.4°C.