People are being advised to take extra care of their health and personal hygeine in light of the hot weather conditions.

Some medical practitioners report an increase in patients presenting illnesses caused by heat and prolonged exposure to the sun.

General Practitioner, Dr Mahendra Hazratwala says in recent weeks there have been patients visiting his clinic due to dehydration, skin infections and asthma attacks.

“The body tendency is different from person to person and therefore skin problem is very common in summer because of the heat and moisture in parts of the body where there are folds. There is a lot of sweat and heat and the heat and sweat produces a lot of skin conditions.”

He adds prolonged exposure to very high temperatures can mean the body is unable to reduce its own temperature, causing dehydration and heatstroke, which can be fatal.

The General Practitioner is advising everyone to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water each day even if you aren’t thirsty.

The warm, dry conditions are expected to continue until March next year.