AUSTRALIA: Hospitals treat 50, mostly elderly, during heatwave

MELBOURNE (HeraldSun), March 12, 2008: AT least 50 people have succumbed to Adelaide's record heatwave, seeking hospital treatment for a range of heat-related conditions. South Australian Health Minister John Hill said most of those seeking help were elderly people who required treatment for dehydration. With the hot weather set to continue into next week, Mr Hill said it was important everyone did their best to stay out of the sun during the day, especially the elderly and the very young. Adelaide is in the grip of its longest heatwave on record with the temperature yesterday topping 35 degrees for the ninth day in a row. The forecast is for the unseasonal conditions to continue until at least Tuesday, possibly stretching the hot streak to 16 days. The hot start to autumn could also give the city its hottest March on record with the average maximum temperature for the month so far topping 36 degrees, well above the long-term average of 26 degrees. Source: AAP © Herald and Weekly Times