Posted by The scorching harmattan weather should be avoided at all costs, parents have been urged.
This advice was given by Dr. Olagunju Bamidele, a doctor from Osun, in a conversation with kuryaloaded on Monday in Osogbo.
Olagunju stated that parents and nursing mothers needed to make sure that their infants weren’t needlessly exposed to the cold. He noted that the harmattan is always accompanied by dust, particles, haze, and dry cold.
He also suggested that parents keep their kids inside as much as possible in the early morning and late at night, and to never let them play with or go near water.
“Parents should give their kids a warm bath and make sure they’re dressed in layers. Due to the weather, children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable to diseases at this vulnerable time.
“At this time, the weather is severe, and everybody can see that care should be taken even by adults. Children are more likely than adults to get illnesses including catarrh, pneumonia, and other types of diseases.
“They should also allow their kids to drink warm water and allow them to eat warm food.
“Those who, due to the weather, will attend religious programs at night should make sure that both their children and themselves are appropriately dressed in heavy, warm clothing.”
Olagunju added that the NIMET forecast should have provided adequate forewarning of the impending severity of the harmattan.
We all witnessed the extreme downpour circumstances that NIMET foresaw, so the dry weather wouldn’t be any different. We just need to follow the weather predictions and improve our lives.
“We found that these times are replete with unusual illnesses and infections. This is due to the fact that many parents disregard safety precautions, which causes them to ultimately incur higher medical costs,” he noted.