Extreme Cold: An Overview

Introduction

Extreme cold is a hazard that can cause health emergencies in vulnerable individuals, such as those without housing or who are trapped or those who reside in inadequately insulated or unheated homes.

Extremely low temperatures are frequently accompanied by winter storms and other severe weather conditions; these linked weather events can occasionally cause heating systems to become ineffective or create power outages. As a consequence of this, households may resort to the use of space heaters, fireplaces, or appliances that are not meant for heating (such as ovens or stoves) to stay warm, which raises the risk of fires and has a detrimental effect on the quality of the air inside the home.

What Is Extreme Cold?

The temperature at which one is considered to be experiencing extreme cold varies tremendously depending not only on location but also on the baseline for cold. There is a significant likelihood that the conditions that are extreme cold in the north and extreme cold in regions that are used to warmer weather are considerably different. Different populations will have varying degrees of tolerance and sensitivity to the cold. The duration of bitterly low temperatures and the winter storms that accompany them can range anywhere from a few hours to multiple days.

Which Are the Susceptible Population?

Depending on characteristics like age, the impact of intense cold on humans might vary substantially whether or not they have access to shelter and their general state of health. These distinctions may also affect the types of interventions that are considered to be suitable. The groups affected by the effects of extreme cold are listed below.

• Young babies and children in their early years.

• Older adults.

• People who are now living without a home.

• Those affected by cardiovascular conditions or excessive blood pressure.

• People who are suffering from respiratory conditions.

What Is the Associated Risk?

Hypothermia and frostbite are two of the most significant health problems that can develop due to prolonged exposure to cold weather.

1. Hypothermia: When exposed to cold temperatures, heat is lost from the body more quickly than it is gained. The body's stored energy will be depleted if exposed to extreme weather. As a result, hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature, develops. A victim's inability to think accurately or move effectively is impacted by a body temperature that is too low. As a result, hypothermia is particularly dangerous, as an individual may not recognize its onset and be unable to respond.

Hypothermia is most likely at extremely cold temperatures, but it can occur at cool temperatures (above 40 degrees Fahrenheit) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or immersion in chilled water.

Hypothermia victims are frequently:

• Insufficient food, clothing, and heating for the elderly.

• Infants sleeping in chilled rooms.

• People who remain outdoors for extended periods — the homeless, hikers, hunters, etc.

• Individuals who consume alcohol or illicit substances.

Signs and symptoms include the following:

• Trembling.

• Exhaustion.

• Bewilderment.

• Fumbling hands.

• Memory loss.

• Speech slurring.

• Fatigue.

First aid is to be given for the condition; if no medical assistance is available, commence warming the individual as follows:

• Place the victim in a heated room or a shelter.

• If the victim's apparel is wet, remove it.

• If an electric blanket is available, warm the center of the body (chest, neck, head, and groin) before the extremities. Or use skin-to-skin contact under layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or linens that are loose and dry.

• Warm beverages can help raise the body's temperature, but alcohol should not be administered. Do not attempt to give a person who is incapacitated a beverage.

• Once the individual's body temperature has risen, keep him or her dry and draped in a warm blanket, including the head and neck.

• Seek medical attention without delay.

A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and appear not to be breathing or have a pulse. In this situation, manage the victim with care and seek assistance immediately. Even if the victim appears to be deceased, CPR must be administered. While warming the victim, CPR should continue until the victim responds or medical assistance arrives. In some instances, victims of hypothermia who appear to be deceased can be revived.

2. Frostbite: Frostbite is an injury to the body induced by freezing temperatures. It causes the afflicted area to lose feeling and color. It affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingertips, and toes most frequently. Frostbite can cause irreversible harm to the body, and severe cases can result in amputation. People with weak blood flow and those who are older are at an increased risk of developing frostbite when improperly dressed for excessively cold temperatures.

One should get out of the cold immediately or cover any skin that is exposed as soon as one sees any redness or pain on their body. The signs and symptoms include the following:

• A patch of skin that is either white or yellowish-gray in color.

• A sensation of numbness.

• Skin that is exceptionally waxy or stiff in texture.

As frostbite causes the affected tissues to become numb, the victim frequently is unaware that they have the condition until another person brings it to their attention.

The first aid to be given is the following:

• Seek medical attention as soon as possible if one notices any symptoms of frostbite.

• As frostbite and hypothermia are both caused by exposure to cold temperatures, the first step is to assess whether or not the victim also exhibits signs of hypothermia. Hypothermia is a more dangerous medical condition that demands immediate medical attention from trained professionals.

The following steps should be taken if frostbite is present, but there are no obvious signs of hypothermia.

• Get oneself into a warm room as quickly as one can if rapid medical care is not possible.

• Unless necessary, avoid walking with frostbitten feet or digits. Doing so will enhance the amount of damage done.

• Soak the affected area in warm water (not hot water), making sure that the temperature is bearable to the touch on unaffected parts of the body (the temperature should be pleasant to the touch on unaffected areas of the body).

• Alternatively, one can warm the damaged ausingne’s body heat. For instance, the heat from an armpit warms up fingers that have been frostbitten.

• Do not massage the region that has been frostbitten in any way, even with snow. This could result in even more damage.

• To avoid getting too heated, one should not use a heating pad, a heat lamp, or the heat from a stove, fireplace, or radiator. The affected parts become numb and are more susceptible to burning.

Conclusion

Extreme events like cold waves are silent disasters that can have a massive impact on human and animal health causing a large number of morbidity and mortality. Emphasis should be made on adequate capacity building of the medical professional health workers at the local level and preparing the health care system for emergencies. Mainstreaming of CCA-DRR in development planning will help in addressing extreme temperature-related consequences by adopting an ecosystem-based approach and nature-based solution.