UNICEF issues warnings for children amid heatwave

Parents have been advised to prevent children from being outdoors until sunset

Mashfia Akter Ayesha, an 8-month-old pneumonia patient, receives treatment at Dhaka Shishu Hospital.

As long punishing heat waves continue to sweep through Bangladesh, UNICEF has called for precautionary measures, expressing deep concern for the health and safety of children.

The unusually high temperatures of April have already led to multiple deaths in the last few days. As such, the government has also issued a directive to shut down schools and colleges as sweltering temperatures grip the continent.

According to UNICEF’s 2021 Climate Risk Index for Children, children in Bangladesh are at ‘very high risk’ of being exposed to the effects of climate change, the United Nations Children’s Fund said in a press release on Wednesday.

The organisation has warned of severe health risks for children, including heatstrokes and dehydration-related diarrhoea, under these oppressive temperatures.

UNICEF has emphasised the urgent need for action to protect children from the more damaging effects of climate change, including heatwaves.

Parents have been asked to take additional measures to protect the children from dehydration now that schools have closed.

The UN children’s agency has called on frontline workers, parents, relatives, caregivers and local authorities to take steps to protect children and pregnant women amid the life-threatening temperatures sweeping across Bangladesh.

The preventative measures include preventing children from staying outdoors until sunset, cladding them in light summer clothing, ensuring they are drinking enough water and providing a cool place for them to sit and play.

In case of heat stress (nausea, dizziness, mild fever, excessive sweating), the officials have asked for children or pregnant women to be seated in a cool, shaded area with proper ventilation. Wiping the body with wet or cool towels can also help to regulate body temperature under these circumstances.

The organisation has also asked for children and women to be admitted to the hospital in case their conditions worsen in the heat.

UNICEF has also urged people to look after neighbours, vulnerable families, disabled children, the elderly and pregnant women as they are at a higher risk of falling sick during a heatwave.