climate change

Mary was a nurse working at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She loved her job and cared deeply for her patients, especially the children. She had seen many cases of malaria, diarrhea, malnutrition, and respiratory infections, but she always tried to do her best to help them recover.

One day, in July 2023, she noticed that the weather was unusually hot and humid. She checked the news and learned that a heat wave was sweeping across East Africa, breaking temperature records and causing droughts and wildfires. She felt sorry for the people who had to work outside in the scorching sun, and hoped that they would stay hydrated and avoid heatstroke.

She arrived at the hospital and started her shift. She was assigned to the pediatric ward, where she usually worked. She greeted her colleagues and checked on the patients. She noticed that some of them looked more restless and uncomfortable than usual. She took their temperatures and found that they were all running high fevers. She wondered if they had contracted some new infection, or if the heat was making their conditions worse.

She reported her findings to the doctor in charge, who told her to give them more fluids and antipyretics, and to monitor them closely. He said that he had seen similar cases in other wards, and that he suspected that the heat wave was affecting their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to infections. He also said that the hospital was running low on water and electricity, due to the increased demand and the reduced supply caused by the drought and the power outages.

Mary nodded and followed his instructions. She tried to comfort the children and their parents, who were also suffering from the heat. She gave them cold compresses, ice packs, and fans, but they did little to ease their discomfort. She wished that there was air conditioning in the hospital, but she knew that it was a luxury that they could not afford.

She worked tirelessly for hours, moving from one patient to another, administering medication, checking vital signs, changing dressings, and providing emotional support. She felt exhausted and thirsty, but she ignored her own needs and focused on her duty.

She was about to take a break when she heard a loud scream from one of the rooms. She ran towards it and saw a young boy convulsing on his bed. His mother was holding his hand and crying hysterically. Mary recognized him as one of her patients who had malaria. She quickly grabbed a syringe and injected him with an anticonvulsant drug. She called for help and tried to stabilize him.

She learned later that he had suffered a heat stroke, which had triggered a seizure. He was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he remained in critical condition. Mary felt devastated and blamed herself for not noticing his symptoms earlier. She wondered how many more lives would be lost or damaged by the heat wave.

She also wondered how long the heat wave would last, and what would happen if it continued or worsened. She had heard that climate change was making extreme weather events more frequent and intense, and that it was affecting human health in many ways. She had seen some of its effects firsthand: droughts, floods, crop failures, food insecurity, water scarcity, vector-borne diseases, respiratory problems, mental stress. She feared that these would only increase in the future, unless something was done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the changing climate.

She hoped that people would realize the urgency of the situation and take action before it was too late. She hoped that governments would cooperate and implement policies that would protect the environment and human health. She hoped that scientists would find solutions that would mitigate or reverse the impacts of climate change. She hoped that everyone would do their part to save the planet and its inhabitants.

She hoped that her patients would survive and recover from the heat wave.

She hoped that she would survive too.