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 PulseNets on Monday in Osogbo.
Olagunju remarked 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 indoors 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 bathe their children with warm water and make sure they put in thick clothing. Children under the age of 5 are mostly susceptible to infections at this critical period because of the weather.
“At this time, the weather is harsh and anybody can see that there is need for even adults to take precautions. Catarrh, Pneumonia and other infections are rife and children are more prone to catch these infections than adults.
“They should also let their children eat food when it is warm and should discourage drinking cold water.
“For those who will be going for night religious programmes because of the season, they should ensure their children and even themselves are properly clothed in thick and warm clothing.”
Olagunju said that the NIMET prediction should have provided adequate forewarning of the impending severity of the harmattan.
“NIMET predicted harsh rainfall conditions and we all saw what happened, the dry weather would not be different. We just have to abide by the weather forecasts and give ourselves a better life.
“We discovered that in these periods, uncommon diseases and infections are rife. This is because many parents fail to observe precautions and at the end of the day, they end up spending more for treatments,” he added.
