SHAKES and other chilled beverages may be in demand this hot, dry season but for the Department of Health, nothing will better beat the heat than a glass of cold drinking water.
In a press conference yesterday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said water rehydrates the body.
“Everything we drink, it can be a source of water that is good for the body… Juices and others, however, are not pure water that can be provided to the body,” she said.
“During hot weather, the best weapon remains to be pure water, especially during times when you are dehydrated so that one can replenish their electrolytes,” she added.
Vergeire said drinking eight glasses of water a day is the minimum requirement against dehydration which can make one vulnerable to heat stress or heat stroke.
“Always drink water. The (required) eight glasses of water a day is sufficient to replace those we are sweating,” she added.
On those suffering from heat stress, Vergeire said they may be given drinking water as first aid, to prevent the condition from advancing to a heat stroke.
“Allow the patient to get hydrated. Let him drink water if he is conscious,” she
During the dry season, which Filipinos often refer to as “summer,” vendors of juice, shakes, and “samalamig” usually mushroom in the communities.
Vergeire reminded the public to be conscious of food safety.
She said those selling drinks should make sure that they are using safe drinking water to prevent gastrointestinal diseases.
“Let us make sure that the water source for our products is clean. Even the ice that we will use must be clean,” said Vergeire.
For those selling food, she said, they should be conscious about their products getting spoiled easily due to high temperature.
“When the weather is hot, food can only last two hours at most before they get spoiled,” she said.
Vergeire asked local government units to make sure businesses selling food and beverages are closely monitored by their sanitation officers to avoid causing gastrointestinal problems.
