Cold Weather Alert

The Department of Health has worked with the Met Office to develop a Cold Weather Health Warning scheme for the North West of England for this winter.

The scheme is initially a pilot running from 3 November 2008 until 31 March 2009. It supports other Government winter campaigns by alerting those most vulnerable to the effects of cold weather in advance of a cold spell occurring.

We are all more likely to feel the chill and catch cold or flu in winter, but for certain groups of people, cold weather can lead to more serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes or pneumonia. Those most at risk of the effects of the cold include older people, families with young children and people with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

Cold weather is serious, but you can protect yourself by taking a few straight-forward and relatively inexpensive steps which include:

• wrapping up well when going outdoors
• maintaining the right temperature in your home (optimum temperature is 18-21°C)
• getting financial help for heating through available grants
• having regular warm drinks and hot meals
• having a 'flu jab

A range of important information can be found at the Keep Warm Keep Well website.
A telephone helpline 0800 408 1250 provided by the Department of Health is also available.