•Cold, catarrh, infections on the rise as dry, dusty weather persists
•Experts call for increased personal hygiene
By Job Osazuwa
Right now across the country, the harmattan season is in its elements. Everywhere you go, from Lagos to Lokoja, Aba to Abeokuta, Sagamu to Sokoto, the dry harmattan haze, coupled with the accompanying dust, sweeps across the land. Visibility is poor, and cold and catarrh afflict both the young and the old.
As the harmattan continues to sweep across the country, medical experts are urging Nigerians to be conscious of their hygiene. They are also warning against air-borne infections and other related diseases associated with the weather.
Indeed, it is getting dustier by the minute as the harmattan winds traverse communities, blowing from the Sahara Desert over the West African sub-region. Harmattan is a geographical feature of the Sahel Savannah region of West Africa, characteried by cold, hazy, dusty and dry weather. People’s lips and soles easily get cracked while eyes become red with exposure to dust particles carried by the wind.
Not many people find the season comfortable, as it usually causes dryness of the skin. The number of people suffering from cough and other respiratory infections tends to increase as well. However, medical experts have said there is nothing much to worry about, if individuals adopt the right approach. They stressed the need for increased cleanliness of the environment.
A consultant family physician with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos, Dr. Sodipo Olujimi, said not only is the harmattan period characterised by cold and dust, some micro organisms are embedded in the particles that could be harmful when inhaled.
Giving some tips to Nigerians, which he said are necessary to survive the usually unfriendly weather and to stay healthy, he canvassed keeping the skin warm and moisturised by regular warm baths. He also advocated the use of emollients like petroleum jelly, especially on exposed areas such as the lips, feet and hair.
His words: “Wear appropriate clothing, which covers a large area of the body. Also, there is the need to observe regular cleaning of the home, to avoid dust accumulation with attendant problems like respiratory tract infections, worsening asthma and so on.
“For those driving, they need to be more careful because visibility is usually poor. So, those with poor sight have to take extra precautions, especially in the morning and at night.
“It is recommended that the vulnerable, like the elderly, children and those with chronic diseases should visit their doctors for a health screening and appropriate advice during this period. Above all, eat healthy food, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol during this period.”
In the same vein, a Lagos-based medcal doctor, Oludara David Agboola, told Daily Sun that the harmattan season is a yearly routine that arises from a change in the weather.
“Harmattan comes with some features such as more dust and particulate matter in the atmosphere. Due to the dryness, things are more likely to catch fire,” he said, warning that the wind usually carries some particules that could contain microorganism like bacteria, viruses and so on. Agboola pointed out that, as a result of the increased fog and mist, there could be more road accidents, which would lead to a surge in the rate of trauma.
He said: “More acute cases of asthma could arise because of the increased dust in the atmosphere, which could trigger the condition. This is understandable because microorganisms on the particulate matter could cause upper respiratory tract or even lower respiratory tract infections.
“People should try to keep personal hygiene, like wetting the room before sweeping, especially in a home with an asthma patient. The asthmatics should avoid going to dusty places and also go around with their inhalers. Indiscriminate burning of bushes should be avoided and handling highly flammable materials should be done with care.”
Agboola advised Nigerians to keep the outer skin healthy through application of creams, jelly or balms on the lips and soles, to prevent them from cracking.
Other tips from the doctor were: “Take warm baths at night, using antiseptic solutions in your water, particularly if you are out and about during the day. This helps to wash off layers of dust on your skin before you sleep. Wash your hands as often as possible with a moisturising and cleansing hand wash. This prevents you from using dusty hands in your daily activities, and keeps them regularly hydrated.
“Wear layers of clothing to protect yourself from the cold wind, particularly if you live in the country’s northern areas. As much as possible, keep windows at home or in your office space closed, using air conditioning or fan systems instead.
“It is very important to keep cooked and uncooked foodstuff covered at all times because it can be infected with flying bacteria.”
A dermatologist, Mr. Sabo Ibrahim, advised residents to ensure good personal hygiene and sanitation to curtail diseases associated with harmattan.
He gave the advice recently in Hadejia town in Jigawa State, where he said diseases associated with harmattan could be prevented through good personal hygiene and sanitation.
The medical expert noted that such harsh weather conditions caused itching and redness of the eyes, especially in people suffering from eye diseases.
“Harmattan is not good for people with existing respiratory complications such as asthma and pneumonia. Cold and dusty weather aggravates these conditions,” he said.
The doctor called for regular washing of the eyes with clean water and advised those suffering from asthma and other respiratory conditions, to wear respirators to reduce exposure to the dust and adhere to the precautionary steps.
“Parents and care givers should give special attention and put on warm clothes for children to keep them healthy. It is also good to wash hands, fruits and vegetables before eating,” Ibrahim said.
Also lending her voice to the matter, Abuja-based consultant paediatrician, Dr. Ify Ejinkonje, said harmattan, in many cases, is associated with respiratory tract infections, precipitated by allergic reactions. She explained that the allergies are from the dust, weather and reduced humidity, which cause dryness of the respiratory tract.
“In most cases, there is a recurrence of bronchial asthma. Majorly, most of the cases are respiratory tract problems, which are either allergies or infections. Some of them are bronchiolitis, an infection that affects tiny airways, which makes breathing difficult for the patient. This is common in children. Some persons will come down with pneumonia, and dermatitis, dryness of the skin,” Ejinkonje said.
In the category of people that might be vulnerable to harmattan-related diseases, she said children under five years, infants, the elderly and internally displaced persons need to be more protected. Others are people with immune-incompetence such as sickle cell anaemia, cancer, asthma and rheumatism as well as those that are easily down with cough and catarrh.
She advised them to take precautions by taking in a lot of water, fruits and vegetables, while patients on routine drugs should strive for compliance and consistency to prevent any escalation. Foods rich in vitamin C, A and supplements should be taken regularly, she noted, adding that balanced meals are also very important.
“The dress code during this season depends on the time of the day, because early in the morning and late in the evening the weather is very cold while it becomes hot in the afternoon. I would encourage people, especially the young and the elderly, to wear protective clothing at night. The neck, head and other parts need to be covered with layers of clothes. Protective spectacles are also very important during the day, to prevent the eyes from coming in contact with dust. Using face masks will go a long way against coming in direct contact with particles,” she said.
Ejinkonje advised Nigerians to avoid drinking very cold drinks during this season, as cold drinks would worsen catarrh and cough and cause sputum production. She said the skin must be properly moisturised with lip gloss and oily creams. In her words, prevention is the best treatment for most infections.
“When the weather is cold, it is better you use hot water to bathe, but when it is hot, lukewarm or cold water is advisable. After bath, quickly use a moisturiser to keep the skin hydrated. Skin infections get worse during this period because they are precipitated by dryness. Some patients will experience itching and in the process of scratching their body that particular spot gets contaminated. If the infection is not properly taken care of, it will progress and degenerate to something else,” she said.
Besides the ailments linked with harmattan, the expert said the weather is unfavourable to mosquitoes to breed, thereby reducing malaria. She stated that the incidence of malaria among those aged below five has drastically reduced within this season
“It is good to talk of the benefits of harmattan. Many of our patients these days visit with infections related to the weather,” she said.