People, especially those who are frequently exposed to sunlight due to work or other activities, are advised to be under the shade as much as possible during the Equinox phenomenon.

Deputy director-general of health (public health), Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, said this was to reduce the risk of developing health problems due to the hot weather.

“If there is a need to be outside, use a hat or umbrella and a sun block,” he told Bernama in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The National Space Agency (Angkasa) had announced that the Equinox is a phenomenon which occurs when the sun is right on the equator, after moving from the southern hemisphere to the north causing warmer weather and longer daytime period compared to normal times.

He said, besides individuals who are forced to work in such hot weather like fishermen, security personnel and labourers, infants and children under four years of age were also very sensitive to the high temperature.

“Make sure children are not left in the car. This is because they have to rely on adults to obtain an adequate supply of water and to control the environmental temperature,” he said.

To reduce the effects of the Equinox phenomenon in your home or building, Dr Lokman Hakim urged that all electrical equipment that were not being used be turned off.

Open windows at night or early in the morning to remove the accumulated heat, he added.

Meanwhile, Meteorological Department director-general Che Gayah Ismail advised people not to be too concerned about the Equinox as it was a common phenomenon that occurred twice a year, in March and September.

She said not all places in the country would experience high temperatures, but states in the north were predicted to experience higher temperatures compared to the other states.

The temperature is expected to rise one or two degrees Celsius only during the Equinox. It will also be influenced by the weather. If it rains then the temperature will not rise too high, she added.

- Bernama