As Qatar continues to experience hot and humid weather, expected to last through to September, the Hamad Trauma Center has cautioned the public against the dangers of leaving children alone in parked vehicles.

Director of the Hamad Injury Prevention Programme, Dr Rafael Consunji, said, "With the summer temperatures upon us, we would like to remind the public of the increased risk of leaving children alone in hot cars.”

The temperature inside a parked car can be as much as 40 degrees Celsius hotter than the outside temperature throughout the summer season in Qatar, Dr. Consunji mentioned.

With the hot and humid weather expected to continue throughout August and September, the Hamad Trauma Center is warning members of the public about the dangers of leaving children alone in vehicles. https://t.co/5NwbOAO8Nt pic.twitter.com/dx908IJuLA

— Hamad Medical Corp. (@HMC_Qatar) July 25, 2019

"Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature can be over 20 degrees Celsius hotter," he mentioned.

According to the expert, most of this temperature rise can happen within the first five minutes of turning off the engine and air conditioning.

"[This puts] children left inside the vehicles at great risk for high fever, dehydration, seizures, heatstroke, and even death," Dr Consunji said.

He said that while hot days bring dangers to everyone, the health risks for children are particularly magnified.

"A child's temperature will rise five times faster than an adult’s temperature, especially on hot days, increasing their risk for dehydration and heatstroke," explained Dr Consunji.

He further mentioned that even the cars parked in a shade can get hot very quickly and that the younger the child, the greater their sensitivity to heatstroke, and the faster they can become dehydrated.

It is also a health hazard to leave children in parked cars even if the engine is left running with the air conditioning on. Any failure in the cooling system could be a serious risk for children.

Dr Consunji said, "Deaths from heatstroke can happen even when cars are parked in the shade and winding the window down a few centimeters has little effect on rising heat."

Moreover, the expert said that the color of the seats or the car’s interior does not affect the rising heat. The size of the car has no role in this either as large cars heat up just as fast as small cars.

Furthermore, Dr Consunji urged the public to never leave the child unattended inside a vehicle for even a minute.

"If you have to leave your car for any reason, always take your child with you," he stressed.  

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