In high heat, if there is dizziness, nausea, no sweating or confusion, move to a cool place at once, take off clothing and pour water to cool down, don't give water to someone who isn't fully conscious, and call 120 (China's ambulance number)

In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.

Cost

Free.

What you get

The U.S. National Weather Service: heat stroke is a "serious medical emergency." Its signs are a body temperature above 103°F (39.4°C), confusion, slurred speech, and hot, red skin. The handling is to call for emergency help at once, move to a cool place, cool with cold water and wet cloths, and "give no fluids." The signs of heat exhaustion are heavy sweating, weakness, cold clammy skin, and a fast, weak pulse, and the handling is to move to a cool place, loosen clothing and sip water; get medical care if there is vomiting, if it gets worse, or if it does not ease within 1 hour. A notice from the Yunnan Provincial Disease Control Administration (云南省疾控局): move at once to a cool, ventilated place, cool with a cold wet towel, give salted drinks to those who are conscious, and call the emergency number at once for serious symptoms; severe heat stroke has a "very high death rate." A notice from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention: cool first, transport after, and cool within the "golden half hour" after the person loses consciousness. Where possible, young and middle-aged people with no underlying illness can be cooled quickly by soaking in cold water, and older people and those with underlying illness can be sprayed with water and cooled by evaporation. The Wilderness Medical Society's heat illness guideline, updated in 2024, says cold-water immersion is the most important way to treat severe heat stroke and cools fastest. If there is no ice water, use the coldest water at hand, and if you can't immerse the person, spray with water and fan, which works at about half the speed of immersion

Notes

Don't wait to "rest a bit," because heat stroke can go from dizziness to coma in only a few dozen minutes. Don't force water into someone who is not fully conscious, because it can go down the windpipe. The two sides differ on where to put ice packs. The Chinese Center for Disease Control says to apply them at the neck, armpits and groin, while the Wilderness Medical Society says research shows no cooling effect from applying them to these spots. Its advice is, if only ice packs are available, cover the whole body, and if there are not enough, put the rest on the cheeks, palms and soles. Both say to use cold-water immersion if it is available.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. US National Weather Service. Heat Related Illnesses. https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat-illness
2. 云南省疾控局 (2026). 出现这些症状，你可能是中暑了. https://ynsjkj.yn.gov.cn/html/2026/jikongkepu_0719/2606.html
3. 中国疾病预防控制中心. 高温天气，中国疾控中心提醒您谨防中暑：「如有条件可用冷水浸泡的方法对无基础疾病的青壮年快速降温。老人和有基础疾病的患者可向皮肤喷水通过蒸发降温。降温应遵循"先降温，后转运" 的原则」. https://www.chinacdc.cn/jkkp/ggws/hjyssj/202409/t20240906_296985.html
4. 国家卫生健康委 (2010). 高温中暑预防知识要点. https://www.nhc.gov.cn/wjw/jbyfykz/201007/1edb19b7dd4e4bdf8da5ea45f4a64e23.shtml
5. Eifling KP 等 (2024). Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Heat Illness: 2024 Update. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 35(1_suppl):112S-127S. https://doi.org/10.1177/10806032241227924（正文站点拒绝自动抓取，具体推荐按荒野医学会官网的更新摘要核对：「cold water immersion … is the most important method of treating severe heat illness」「If CWI is unavailable, evaporative cooling is the recommended second-line treatment. … generally half as fast as CWI」https://wms.org/magazine/magazine/1540/Heat-Illness-CPG/default.aspx）
6. Lipman GS 等 (2019). 同指南 2019 版. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2018.10.004

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 22. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer