Accident and emergency (A&E) departments at public hospitals across Cyprus have recorded an increased influx of patients as the ongoing heatwave continues to drive up heat-related illnesses, state health services organisation (Okypy) spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said on Thursday.

“There is internal population movement to coastal areas and increased tourist traffic, and several incidents end up in the emergency response centres,” he said.

He said many of the cases were linked to activities at the beach or in the mountains, with the most common conditions being heat exhaustion, dehydration and gastroenteritis.

Gastroenteritis is particularly common during the summer, he said, often caused by the consumption of food that has spoiled because it was not stored properly.

“If food or beverages are not stored under the appropriate conditions, then there is a risk that they will spoil and their consumption will cause gastrointestinal problems,” he stressed.   

Charilaou said patients included people of all ages, but that children, older people and those with heart or lung conditions were most frequently affected.

“Our advice to people is to stay in a cool and shady place during high temperatures – preferably air-conditioned if possible – to drink enough fluids to hydrate the body, because high temperatures increase sweating and fluids are lost from the body, and to wear light clothing,” he said.

Cyprus has been experiencing an intense heatwave over the past two weeks, with temperatures exceeding 40C and the meteorological department issuing repeated warnings over extreme heat and a heightened risk of forest fires.