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| Health Department Says Stay Safe in the Cold |
Stay inside if at all possible and if you have to go out, try and limit your time you're exposed to the cold air and get back inside where it's warm.
That's what Knox County Health Department Director of Community Health Improvement Michele Fishburn says is great advice with dealing with the recent frigid temperatures to blanket the area. With air temperature lows not reaching zero and dropping throughout this week, combined with wind chill readings near 40 below zero, the Knox County Health Department staff report exposure to cold temperatures, either indoors or out, can cause serious life-threatening health problems.
Fishburn tells WGIL frostbite is only one of the common cold-related problems people need to watch out for. "Very often, frostbite will come and you'll have hypothermia at the same time, which is the more serious condition" Fishburn said. "Very often, people should get medical assistance for hypothermia."
Fishburn says some signs you need to watch for for frostbite include white or greyish yellow skin area with the affected area feeling waxy or firm and a bit numb. She says people with frostbite usually can't tell if they have it because the area has gone quite numb so others tip off the person.
Fishburn and the Knox County Health Department suggest while layering your clothing, give warm clothes underneath a chance to breathe including wools or polyesters. The outside layer of clothing especially in bitter cold situations should be a type of clothing that repels the wind.
The health department also says drinking warm, sweet beverages or broths, keep your body temperature up. |
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| 01 15 09 by Newsroom |
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