Page 3 - Advancing Life 2023

Creating Heat-Safe
Schools in response
to Climate Change
As climate change continues
to unfold, rising heat, longer
summers and increasing
heatwaves are of growing
concern in South Africa.
We have to adapt in order to protect vulnerable
groups such as children, the elderly and pregnant
women against the health effects of heat exposure.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
AND US
Microbes are everywhere, these
include viruses, bacteria, and
fungi. Naturally, they are in our
bodies, such as on our skin,
upper respiratory track, and
intestines.
Microbes are also in the environment, in our drink
and our food. When conditions are right, some
microbes cause disease in humans and animals.
Medicines that kill or inactivate microbes are
called antimicrobials - these can be antivirals
(against viruses), antibiotics (against bacteria),
and antimycotic or antifungals (against fungi).
The SAMRC-UNIVEN Antimicrobial Resistance
and Global Health Unit, under the direction
of Prof Pascal Bessong is working with
communities for a better understanding of the
acquisition, diversity, burden, and transmission
dynamics of bacterial antimicrobial resistance
in our communities. It is the hope of the Unit
that evidence garnered will strengthen the
chance of success of intervention strategies
in mitigating antimicrobial resistance from the
strategic approach of community engagement,
involvement, and mobilisation.
DID YOU KNOW?
Heat exposure can affect our health in
several ways:
• When the body becomes too hot,
a person may experience heat
cramps, heat exhaustion and even
heat stroke, which is regarded as a
medical emergency.
• Also being highly irritated, having
difficulty in concentrating, headaches
and loss of ability to do tasks or
heavy work.
• It can also affect the teacher’s ability
to teach, and of children to learn.
TIPS TO STAY COOL!
• Drink plenty of water on hot days to
stay hydrated.
• Protect yourself and children from the
sun by wearing sunscreen or sitting in
the shade.
Under our Socio-Economic Development (SED) installing ceilings, ceiling fans, blinds, the
initiative, the SAMRC has stepped up to provide construction of awnings to provide shade during
sustainable measures for creating Heat-Safe school breaks and foot-operated water fountains
Schools. Recently, the SAMRC launched the closer to where children need them.
project at one of the participating schools
in Limpopo, in the presence of the school’s The school’s Principal said, “Reitumetse thatha
- We are extremely happy. We appreciate the
employees, its governing body and some very work done, which has made a big difference in
excited learners.
our school. Re leboga gagolo SAMRC! - Thank
Schools were provided with options to keep you very much SAMRC.”
children cool in hot weather, these included
DID YOU KNOW?
A situation whereby a microbe survives
or thrives in the presence of a medicine
that previously kills the microbe is called
antimicrobial resistance. There are several
reasons why microbes develop resistance to
medicines. One reason could be that a strain
of the microbe that is naturally resistant
multiplies and becomes the majority strain.
Another reason is when, over time, a microbe
develops ways to survive the medicine
against it.
Antimicrobials have played and continue to
play a major role in the promotion of global
health, socio-economic development, and
advancement of nations and civilization.
The discovery of penicillin against bacterial
infections, and antiretrovirals against HIV
are examples of how antimicrobials saved
lives. It takes many years and a lot of
resources to develop an antimicrobial; so, it
is a concern when an antimicrobial begins to
lose its effectiveness because of resistance
development. The World Health Assembly
described efforts to reduce antimicrobial
resistance as a global problem. This is
because antimicrobial resistance leads
to sickness and death from previously
treatable infectious diseases.