Guidelines have been released by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to assist people in adjusting to the severe weather that is currently plaguing the nation, which is marked by high temperatures, dust, and dryness.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that the month of February has had exceptionally severe weather, with dust and dryness adding to a high air quality index.
Furthermore, extremely hot weather is predicted by the Ghana Meteorological Agency for the upcoming months of March and April. People are at risk for respiratory ailments, and meningitis in particular,, as a result of these unfavourable weather patterns.
The GHS has issued guidelines in response to these difficulties in order to reduce the negative effects of severe weather on public health.
These include restricting outdoor activities, particularly for young people and the elderly, donning face masks to minimize dust exposure, drinking lots of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, and making sure that people with long-term respiratory diseases like asthma take their prescribed drugs.
Because of the dry and hot weather, there is a higher risk of meningitis in the country’s northern regions. Meningitis cases have been documented, but as of right now, the nation is not experiencing an outbreak.
However, the GHS recommends that anyone exhibiting symptoms like fever and stiff neckss seek emergency medical attention at the closest hospital.
“We urge the public to observe these recommendations during this period of harsh weather conditions and report to the nearest health facility when they have difficulty breathing,” according to the statement released by the GHS. The public was reassured by the service that it is making every effort to quickly detect and address any possible outbreaks during this time and in the future.
