Parliament will aim to pass an important bill ahead of the general election to ensure victims of the infected blood scandal are compensated as soon as possible, the government says.

Giving teenagers the HPV vaccine is cutting cases of cervical cancer by 90%, figures for England show.

Same-sex couples with non-transmissible HIV will now be able to donate eggs or sperm and become parents.

Published12 June 2023Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Michelle RobertsDigital health editorDuring the hot weather, it can be easy to overheat. Environmental temperatures of 40C (104F) can make it difficult to keep the body at its ideal 37C.The advice – be sensible and slow down to stay cool.While heat exhaustion is not usually serious, as long as you can cool yourself down, heatstroke is a medical emergency. Here’s what to look for and what to do. Heatstroke or heat exhaustion?Heat exhaustion happens when your body is becoming too hot and struggling to regulate or cope. It can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people – especially if they are doing strenuous exercise in high temperatures or have been drinking alcohol in the sun all day. It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually, over hours.The symptoms you will feel are your body’s way of warning you to cool down, fast.An obvious sign is excessive sweating, as well as feeling very hot and unwell with it. Other symptoms include:a headachedizziness and confusionloss of appetite and feeling sickcramps in the arms, legs and stomachfast breathing or pulsea temperature of 38C or abovebeing very thirstyYoung children, who might not be able to tell you about how they are feeling, may become floppy and sleepy. Heat exhaustion can turn into heatstroke, which is an emergency. It means your body can no longer manage the heat and your core temperature is rising too high. Get urgent medical help. The signs to watch for and quickly act on: feeling unwell after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of waternot sweating even while feeling too hota temperature of 40C or abovefast breathing or shortness of breathfeeling confuseda fit (seizure)loss of consciousnessnot responsiveOlder adults and young infants, as well as people with long-term health conditions, are particularly at risk. The body’s ability to regulate its temperature is not fully developed in the young and may be reduced by illness, medications or other factors in older adults. Being overweight or obese may also make it harder to cool down.What to doIf someone has heat exhaustion: get them to rest in a cool place – such as a room with air conditioning or somewhere in the shaderemove any unnecessary clothing, to expose as much of their skin as possiblecool their skin – use whatever you have available, a cool, wet sponge or flannel, spray water, cold packs around the neck and armpits, or wrap them in a cool, wet sheetfan their skin while it is moist – this will help the water to evaporate, which will help their skin cool downget them to drink water – sports or rehydration drinks are fine tooStay with them until they are better.They should start to cool down and feel better within 30 minutes. If in any doubt, seek help. More on this storyKeep children out of sun as heatwave hits – NHSPublished9 July 2022What does hot weather do to the body?Published8 June 2023How does sunscreen work?Published8 June 2023