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Heat afflicts Egypt’s workers, families: 'If the metal can't endure, how can we?'

As an extreme heat epidemic grips the planet, a study by the International Labor Organization estimates roughly 93% of Africa's workforce faces hazardous temperatures on the job. Photojournalist Hamada Elrasam captured scenes of endurance as the sun scorched Cairo, the continent's third largest city, where temperatures have seldom gone below 38 degrees Celsius since May.

Words by Elle Kurancid.

Moussa, a baker who makes bread for hundreds of families daily, endures chronic heat rashes due to his working and living conditions, without air conditioning, in his dense, heat-trapping neighborhood. Cairo, Egypt, August 10, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
5 Moussa, a baker who makes bread for hundreds of families daily, endures chronic heat rashes due to his working and living conditions, without air conditioning, in his dense, heat-trapping neighborhood. Cairo, Egypt, August 10, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
Dina El Ghayaty, a dermatology specialist, says her hospital recently received nearly 5,000 people with heat-related issues in one day. “The number of patients has surged this year, compared to when I started here in 2013,” she said. Cairo, Egypt, August 11, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
6 Dina El Ghayaty, a dermatology specialist, says her hospital recently received nearly 5,000 people with heat-related issues in one day. “The number of patients has surged this year, compared to when I started here in 2013,” she said. Cairo, Egypt, August 11, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
Gamal, a longtime electrician, fixes a core generator at a poultry farm. "If the metal can't endure, how can we?" he asks, referring to the machine that keeps overheating. Cairo, Egypt, May 23, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
7 Gamal, a longtime electrician, fixes a core generator at a poultry farm. "If the metal can't endure, how can we?" he asks, referring to the machine that keeps overheating. Cairo, Egypt, May 23, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
For Samer, a sports photographer, his car’s air conditioning serves as a line of defense against heat stress, as he travels around the capital to document a top Egyptian soccer team’s activities. Cairo, Egypt, May 31, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
8 For Samer, a sports photographer, his car’s air conditioning serves as a line of defense against heat stress, as he travels around the capital to document a top Egyptian soccer team’s activities. Cairo, Egypt, May 31, 2024. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)

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