Jaipur: The plummeting mercury level is affecting the health of newborn babies, who are vulnerable to hypothermia. The child specialists and hospitals in the city are receiving infants with low body temperature. Doctors also claimed that the underweight and malnourished infants and newborns are more susceptible to hypothermia since the temperature in state frequently dips below 10 degrees Celsius. “Body temperature goes down significantly when an infant suffers from severe hypothermia. There is a risk of multi-organ disorder also,” said Dr Ashok Gupta, professor of pediatrics at Sawai Man Singh hospital. When there is cold and the infant is exposed to the weather continuously, he may become unconscious. The doctors make efforts to rewarm the infant so that the normal temperature can be maintained. Suprintendent of JK Lon hospital, a child specialty hospital, Dr S D Sharma said infants can not produce their own body heat like an adult. They have all the facilities to treat the patients with hypothermia in the hospital, he added. The doctors advise the parents to keep the infants wrapped in cloths. Dr Gupta said parents should use pre-warm blankets to wrap the infants as the clothes which are not prewarmed also absorb the infant’s body heat. Since hypothermia accounts for infant mortality rate (IMR), a health department said it is necessary for the mother to take proper care of their baby in winters. “The mothers should ensure that their babies should be kept in a room with the correct temperature,” he said. If an infant is suffering from hypothermia, he/she should be immediately admitted to newborn care units in hospitals for treatment, he added. Churu coldest T he state continues to be in the grip of a severe cold wave as the mercury continued to take a dip. Churu remained coldest with a minimum temperature of 1.7 degrees Celsius, the Met report said on Wednesday. The met office also predicted that the state will see a further dip in mercury. Alike other cities, Jaipur’s normal life and vehicular traffic got affected due to fog and mist as the city recorded a minimum temperature of 5.7 degrees, almost 2 degrees below normal. The afternoon was no better either with a maximum temperature of 22.1 degrees Celsius.