My Science School

For many people, warm weather is a time for fun-filled outdoor activities. However, hot weather and outdoor activities don’t always mix well, especially during periods of extreme heat— times when temperatures are substantially hotter and/or more humid than average for a location and date.

Warmer temperatures can mean higher ozone levels. Pay attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Indexexternal icon when planning outdoor summer activities, especially if you have asthma or another lung disease.

When temperatures are extremely high, take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones:

• Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can.


• Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.


• Take cool showers or baths to cool down.


• Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.


• Never leave children or pets in cars.


• Check the local news for health and safety updates.

 

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Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Normal body temperature is around 98.6 ºF (37 ºC). Hypothermia (hi-poe-THUR-me-uh) occurs as your body temperature falls below 95 F (35 ºC).

When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can't work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually to death.

Hypothermia is often caused by exposure to cold weather or immersion in cold water. Primary treatments for hypothermia are methods to warm the body back to a normal temperature.

When the balance between the body's heat production and heat loss tips toward heat loss for a prolonged period, hypothermia can occur. Accidental hypothermia usually happens after cold temperature exposure without enough warm, dry clothing for protection. Mountain climbers on Mount Everest avoid hypothermia by wearing specialized, high-tech gear designed for that windy, icy environment.

However, much milder environments can also lead to hypothermia, depending on a person's age, body mass, body fat, overall health, and length of time exposed to cold temperatures. A frail, older adult in a 60-degree house after a power outage can develop mild hypothermia overnight. Infants and babies sleeping in cold bedrooms are also at risk.

 

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Heatstroke is a condition caused by your body overheating, usually as a result of prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures. This most serious form of heat injury, heatstroke, can occur if your body temperature rises to 104 ºF (40 ºC) or higher. The condition is most common in the summer months.

Heatstroke requires emergency treatment. Untreated heatstroke can quickly damage your brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. The damage worsens the longer treatment is delayed, increasing your risk of serious complications or death.

Heat stroke results from prolonged exposure to high temperatures -- usually in combination with dehydration -- which leads to failure of the body's temperature control system. The medical definition of heat stroke is a core body temperature greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, with complications involving the central nervous system that occur after exposure to high temperatures. Other common symptoms include nausea, seizures, confusion, disorientation, and sometimes loss of consciousness or coma.

 

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A mice infestation in your home could give your parents sleepless nights. They would swing into action, setting up traps to get rid of the rodents as quickly as possible. Mice are not only troublesome pests, but also dangerous. They eat away our supplies, damage our books and belongings and make a terrible mess of the house. And they also contaminate food and spread diseases. Now, imagine the plight of residents of rural Australia, which is witnessing the worst plague of mice in decades.

After years of drought, rural New South Wales and parts of Queensland enjoyed a bumper crop due to the recent wet season. But this influx of new produce and grains has led to an explosion in the mouse population. While houses are trapping dozens of these rodents every night, supermarkets tally crosses hundreds. Residents complain of unbearable stink whether the little mammals are alive or dead. Eyewitness videos shared online show thousands of the tiny rodents swarming around farms and streets. It is quite a nightmarish experience for farmers and businesses alike. Some unlucky farmers have lost their entire harvests to the mice. Hotels in the infested areas are closing their doors to visitors. The plague so far has estimated to have cost the businesses upwards of $30,000.

Locals say they started noticing the swarms up north in October 2020, and the wave of rodents has been spreading south ever since, growing to unimaginable proportions. Intensive baiting programmes have so far had little success against the infestation, and locals are hoping for a temperature drop or a heavy rain to drown the mice in their burrows. Efforts to poison the mice are backfiring as their carcasses started appearing in water tanks.

Not uncommon in Australia

The mouse plague has occurred several times throughout parts of Australia, usually in the grain-growing regions. Australia and China are the two countries where plagues of mice are known to occur.

What causes a mouse plague?

The breeding season in mice begins in spring and continues into autumn, given suitable weather conditions. One pair of breeding mice can produce a new litter every three weeks, potentially birthing over 500 offspring in one season. A female mouse reaches sexual maturity in 5 to 6 weeks. When the food supply is abundant the breeding season could extend well into autumn and lead to a population explosion. Most plagues end in July when cold winter conditions stress the population and when food becomes scarce.

 

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With the world's largest vaccination drive going on in the country, you may have heard people mention Co-WIN. What is it?

The government which launched the anti-coronavirus vaccination drive on January 16, 2021, by inoculating frontline and healthcare workers, has extended it in the next phase to senior citizens (those above 60 years) and those aged 45 or older with comorbidities (pre existing health conditions). How can they get vaccinated? First they should register themselves on the anti-coronavirus vaccine registration portal called COWIN

A mobile app

COWIN is a mobile app rolled out by the government to ensure smooth implementation of the vaccination process. Owned by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, COWIN is said to be an extension of the eVIN (electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network), which has been used in crucial immunisation programmes across the country. COWIN stands for COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network. The COWIN system identifies target groups, registers beneficiaries, allots vaccine centres subject to availability, and keeps track of the beneficiaries. Not just that, it also keeps track of the vaccines at the national, State and district level on a real-time basis. With every detail uploaded on the digital platform, utilisation, wastage, and coverage of the vaccination campaign can be constantly monitored.

How to register

The COWIN app is meant for administrators, supervisors, and vaccinators, and not for us, the general public. People can register for the anti-COVID vaccination through the COWIN portal http:// www.cowin.gov.in and through the Aarogya Setu app (Remember this app was launched to detect contact tracing when the pandemic broke out?), which has been integrated with the COWIN app. Besides, there is a walk-in provision for people to get themselves registered and vaccinated at the nearest centre.

Registration on the COWIN portal opened on March 1. People need photo identification proof to register - they can use their Aadhaar card, Driving Licence, Voter ID, or PAN card, among others. In the initial days, the app faced some technical glitches. But it is said that they have been taken care of subsequently. Further, it is said that the personal data of beneficiaries stored on COWIN is secure and hence will not be available in the public domain.

The vaccines being administered in the country should be given in two doses. They are being provided free of cost at government vaccination centres, while at private centres, they cost Rs. 250 per dose.

 

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