Very strong El Niño don land. Forecasters think say e fit be the worst wey them don record since 1950. Some experts talk say heat go cause extra death for Nigeria pass anywhere else for the next four months. Wetin you fit do to protect yourself?
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Rainy season don de end. Because of El Niño, people wey sabi the matter them don talk say this dry season go hot pass how e de normally be. Dry season sef get im own sickness. How you want carry protect yourself and your family.
El Niño na when the Pacific Ocean near the equator too hot. When e happen, e de change weather for the whole world for one year or more.
On 8 October, United States Climate Prediction Center measure part of the Pacific ocean, and e hot pass e suppose be with 2.1 degrees. Them believe say this strong El Niño fit stay reach March 2027. Na them carry mouth talk say from October come reach December of this year, e get high chance (83%) say this El Niño go strong pass any El Niño wey them don see since 1950. Nigeria own weather agency talk the same thing for August.
For the whole world, this one de break record. One research organisation wey their name na Berkeley Earth don give 2026 about 96% chance to be the hottest year wey them don ever measure.1
Pacific na the biggest ocean for this world. When the top of that water over hot, e de send plenty heat enter the air, and that heat no de stay one place. E go first spread go up, then come spread wide so tey e go cover the middle part of the earth (the equator) round. Nigeria near the equator so e follow for where the heat go reach.
That hot air for up dey make rain no too fall. Before rain fit fall, rain cloud must grow as e de rise enter cold air, so when the air for up don over hot, the cloud no fit grow well. Na why people de expect say El Niño go make plenty places dry. We neva sabi whether West Africa go follow for those places this year.
The effect no de show one time. Scientists don talk say this El Niño go worse pass for November or December near Pacific ocean where e start, but e go reach another three months before the rest of the world catch up. Na why them talk say early 2027 go hot pass.
Nobody fit talk 100% yes or no.
Scientists look twelve El Niño years wey don pass. Six carry plenty rain come our side, six carry less. The two years wey resemble this one pass na 50/50: 1997 dry, 2015 wet. West Africa own climate centre don talk am for August say make nobody open mouth talk say we go get bad rainy season because of only El Niño.
Wetin we sabi be say our side go hot well well. The same centre talk say almost the whole of West Africa go hot pass normal, especially as the region de enter dry season.
E go high well well o. In fact, Climate Impact Lab talk say between September 2026 and February 2027, heat go kill extra 31,400 people for Nigeria. From that number, 15,400 na between December, January and February. If e happen like that, naim be say Nigeria go carry first for the whole world, before Indonesia, Sudan and India.2
But no be by force say e must happen like that. Heat de kill about 489,000 people every year for the whole world. The World Health Organization talk say if people do wetin dem suppose do, we fit prevent most of those deaths.
Drink water before water hungry you. If you wait make water hungry you inside heat, by that time, your body don already dey dry. WHO talk say you suppose drink like one cup of water every hour and at least two to three litres every day.
Do hard work for outside early for morning or for evening. No stay for sun for the middle of the day when e over hot. Wear light cloth wey no too tight, make breeze fit touch you. Open your window for night make heat comot. On fan or AC if you get them for house. Baff cold water, or use wet towel touch your body small.
If you or anybody near you de feel like to faint, eye de turn the person, the person de feel sick, e stop to sweat, or no know imself again, call for help first or rush am go hospital. While you dey wait, try cool the person quick. Loosen im cloth, carry am go shade, and put cold wet cloth for im body. Stay with am until help come.
Sweat na how body de comot heat. If person wey de sweat stop to sweat, im body no de cool imself again. That one na sign say you need to move fast. But no wait for sweat to stop before you shake body. Person wey get heatstroke fit still de sweat, but e don dey go o!
Heat fit make Lassa fever worse. If we sidon look six years of Lassa fever for Nigeria, we go see say, cases dey increase when weather dey hot and dry. No be say na heat de cause Lassa o, but e dey make am spread more. And this dry season go hot pass.
This year don already get as e be. This October, NCDC don record 1,138 confirmed cases and 268 deaths, compared to 924 and 172 for the same time last year. Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue get 88% of the cases. Meanwhile more fit still dey come. Cases de high pass from late December reach April.
If fever no clear after malaria treatment, ask for Lassa test. Call NCDC free for 6232.
We never know. Meningitis de come with dry season whether El Niño dey or e no dey . E de spread pass for March and April, when dry air and dust de damage the inside of the throat and open road for the bacteria. North na im de suffer am pass: last season, Kebbi alone get about half of the 2,911 suspected cases for Nigeria.
Nigerian government de give Men5CV vaccine anytime we get outbreak, so ask for any health centre wey near you whether you fit collect vaccine.
Harmattan dey come every dry season, and no evidence say El Niño dey make am worse. Im cold, dusty air dey dry your airway, so infection fit catch you easy. One heart doctor for Jos see say heart problem for im patients go from 23% to 33% as harmattan start.
Close your window when the haze thick, cover your nose and mouth when you dey outside, and buy new inhaler and blood pressure medicine before harmattan start.
WHO talk say too much heat dey worry some kind people pass, like babies and small children, people wey don old reach 65 years, and anybody wey de work for outside or de do heavy work. E also dey worry people wey get heart, lung or kidney problem, and people na only them dey house.
Some people dey more than one group at once. The worst na old people wey na only them dey inside hot room, wey no get who dey check on them.
So, after you don protect yourself, pick one or two people wey you sabi make you call them or go their house see as dem dey until this dry season pass.
Nobody fit talk 100%. Researchers look twelve El Niño years wey don pass. Six bring more rain for the Sahel, six bring less. West Africa own climate centre don warn say make nobody predict bad rainy season from El Niño alone.
No. No study don find any link between the two.
The World Health Organization talk say about one cup every hour, and at least two to three litres for the whole day. No wait until thirst catch you before you start.