Schools in Goa have reopened on Monday for the new academic year. However parents have reportedly urged the government to postpone the reopening of the schools and Higher Secondary by at least one week by which time the monsoon is expected in Goa. The apprehension of the parents over their child’s health is not without reason. It will be difficult for the children to bear the heat in the classroom especially if the electricity plays truant as the temperature hovers around 35 degrees Celsius. The risks due to the heat wave to health include heat stroke, heat stress, allergy, chronic respiratory conditions, asthma, mosquito-borne, cardiovascular disease, under nutrition and diarrhoea. High temperatures are linked to increased mental health problems in children and adolescents, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Various stages of heat illness include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. All three of them are dangerous and detrimental to a child's health. Children sweat less, reducing their ability to cool down, and they generate more heat during exercise than adults. They are at higher risk of overheating and developing a heat-related illness.
