Multiple states across Brazil have been gripped by an intense heatwave in recent days, prompting local authorities to issue weather alerts and urging residents to take precautions, with the high temperatures forecast to continue.
Southeastern states including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais have been experiencing the most extreme heat, with temperatures climbing to a sweltering high of 40.8 degrees Celsius in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
Authorities across the country have been sending out weather warnings, with residents being advised to avoid prolonged outdoor activities and medics reminding people to take measures to ensure they stay hydrated.
"[You have to] drink plenty of water, use a fan. There is not much you can do to escape it, really. It is absurdly hot," said Ana Flavia, a local resident in Sao Paulo.
"With this change in temperature and the excessive heat, we see a lot of cases of dehydration," said Tiago Foliate Pitirilo, a doctor from the city's Hospital Sao Camilo.
The sweltering heat may be around for a while more, according to experts, who say higher water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean mean Brazil is likely to face more frequent heatwaves this year.
"The ocean forecast indicates that in the second half of the year we will have a warmer Pacific Ocean. This allows us to infer that the number of heat waves in 2026 may be higher than last year, when the Pacific Ocean was cooler," said Marecelo Seluchi, a meteorologist from Brazil's National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN).
Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected
Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected
Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected
The Sanya branch of the Peking University (PKU) Hospital of Stomatology based in the tourist resort city of Sanya in south China's tropical Hainan Province -- the country's first national-level regional dental specialty center -- officially opened on Saturday, providing local residents and tourists with access to top-tier dental care without leaving Hainan.
As a key city in the Hainan Free Trade Port and a hub for both tourism and wellness, Sanya has seen rising demand for oral healthcare. Local resources, however, have long been strained.
The newly launched hospital aims to ease the situation. Both its management and medical teams come directly from the main campus of the PKU Hospita of Stomatology in Beijing, ensuring seamless integration and unified standards across diagnoses, treatment, and service quality. The facility comprises of nine specialized buildings, including an emergency outpatient complex and an international medical services building, covering all sub-specialties in dental medicine.
"Since the official start of Hainan Free Trade Port's island-wide special customs operations [on December 18, 2025], the very first zero-tariff items entering the region were advanced dental equipment for our hospital. This enables a wide range of patients in the Hainan region to access the world's latest dental treatment equipment and technology more quickly," said Deng Xuliang, president of the PKU Hospital of Stomatology.
Looking ahead, the main campus of the PKU Hospital of Stomatology will collaborate with medical universities in Hainan to jointly train more specialized professionals for grassroots-level healthcare institutions across the region. Through technical mentorship and integrated training programs, the initiative aims to leverage the policy advantages of the free trade port to build a high-level, comprehensive platform that integrates medical services, education, research, public health, and healthcare management, with particular attention on international patient services and comfort-focused treatment.
"The operation of medical care plus health and wellness programs and of medical care plus tourism projects has jointly contributed to the formation of an internationalized medical care platform in Sanya, which presents a major opportunity for both Sanya and the rest of Hainan, especially as the free trade port enters full operation, making more duty-free medicines and medical devices available locally," said Hu Yulei, director of the Sanya Municipal Health Commission.
Hainan's Sanya opens first national dental specialty center
