So, Athens is not full of people any more. Using their right to escape from the problems of the economy Athenians got on board and headed to their traditional August trip – an escape from the city. They will read the alarming newspapers’ headlines and articles on the beach... The beach and sea are certainly the right place to spend the hottest days of the year. But let's use them properly and remember some important things. Especially if you intend to rest on a beach with no medical staff.
We talked with the nurse of the No. 1 beach in the district of Voula, Athens about what most often happens on the beach: “Dangers of the beach are not little. The most important thing is people to go to the beach when they are in good physical condition. But, unfortunately, this is not the practice. Therefore, emergencies in the office are not rare. People aged between 40 to 70 years with heart problems must be careful. The cases of heart attacks and strokes are common unfortunately. We had two cases already from early summer till now of adults with a sick heart who died in the sea. Unfortunately, none of them could be saved as they died still in the water. It is better for the elderly to come to the beach early in the morning when temperatures are lower or in the late afternoon. The heart attack is a threat to middle-aged people too. Especially when they go overtired to the beach during the hottest hours of the day from 12h to 16h. Another problem is that the heart is in stress the whole year and it reacts when it's time for rest. Thus, people exposed to stress during the year get heart attack when they are at the seaside. The heart is in relax and reacts to the stress. The cases of people who forget to take their pills and come to the beach are dangerous too.”
Surely we should avoid swimming after we have eaten plenty: “It is advisable to wait for at least three hours. It is better not to go in the water if we have plenty of tips. You would rarely see someone drunk on the beach, but still it happens. Preferably, those who have drunk not to come to the beach. But we can not forbid anyone not to drink or to come. So, if someone still decides to go to the beach after drinking alcohol it is best to sleep under the umbrella before entering the water or getting into some sport. There are many cases of beach tennis injuries this year. Many people were struck in the head. There were also people with split heads. The balls are heavy and cause severe injuries.”
Sunscreens can be dangerous too: “There were cases of very strong allergy caused by sunscreens. Recently a young boy turned out to be very allergic to a nut flavor sunscreen. The boy was unaware that he was allergic to this aroma. The strong sun shining on the beach intensified the reaction and his face changed beyond recognition in a few minutes. His head became almost square while he was running to the showers near the doctor's office to try to wash the oil. We gave him a cortisone injection and sent him to hospital.”
Burning jellyfish can be a problem in August as always: “There are a lot in the sea because the water is warm. Typical for them is that they appear when the wind blows from the south. It brings them from afar. Scald is very strong and if a person is allergic to their poison he can die. There are many cases of scalded recently. We put the fenistil celestoderm gel, but if the person makes an allergic reaction it is not helping. We have to make a cortisone injection and send him to hospital.”
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