Ministry of health orders closure of schools due to heat wave

By Simon Deng

The national minister of health Yolanda Awel Deng Juach on Saturday announced the indefinite closure of all schools in a bid to protect learners from extreme heat.

Awel revealed that the heat wave with temperatures ranging between 41 degrees and 45 degrees Celsius could last for two weeks,

“The government has decided to take the following measures; close down all schools with effect from March 18. Parents are advised to stop their children from playing outdoors and they should also monitor children for signs of heat exhaustion,” said Awel during press conference   in Juba.

Awel also disclosed that  the heat wave can acutely impact large populations, often triggering public health emergencies, and resulting in excess mortality and cascading socio-economic impacts like loss of labor productivity and can also cause loss of health service delivery capacity.

She said her ministry’s disease surveillance department has put a system in place to detect and respond to cases, adding that there have been reported cases of deaths related to excessive heat in South Sudan.

The ministry of environment and forestry last week warned of possible illness and deaths among adults and children who may be exposed to high heat.

Joseph Africano Bartel, the undersecretary in the national ministry of environment and forestry said that climate change is becoming a global phenomenon in which South Sudan will also experience fluctuations in temperature.

Bartel advised the public to guard themselves against rising heat in the country, adding that South Sudan would soon experience climate change impact in form of heavy rains, floods and drought.