The heat wave that has taken over in Egypt over the past week has tallied a death toll of 97 citizens and hundreds of heat stroke patients across the country.
The Cairo governorate ranked highest in cases of death due to heat stroke, with 49 cases since last Monday, according to the Health Ministry’s figures.
Sunday’s weather forecast showed that the maximum temperature will be in Aswan at 46 °C, while Cairo’s maximum temperature is expected to reach 42 °C.
Since the start of August, the recorded maximum temperature has regularly exceeded 40 °C, while humidity surpassed 90% at certain points of the day. According to weather forecasters, the heat wave is not expected to break before 20 August.
The heat wave, affected by the India’s monsoon depression, has raised concerns over the readiness of Egypt’s health institutions to deal with the matter.
Despite the escalating crisis, no combat measures were announced by the cabinet in that regard, which could have included providing public facilities with much-needed ventilation. However, the health ministry outlined the symptoms of heat stroke and ways to avoid it through its official newsletter to the public.
With older citizens being the most affected by the heat, the ministry urged citizens – especially the elderly, those who suffer from chronic diseases and children – to take the required protective measures. These include not being directly exposed to the sun, especially around noon, and not to leave home except for the utmost necessity.
