Health Check; Harmattan

The harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March. It is usually characterized by a cold, dry, dusty wind in the evenings until the early hours of the morning. When the harmattan blows hard the heavy amount of dust in the air can severely limit visibility and even block out the sun, comparable to a heavy fog. It is associated with low humidity which simply means there is very little amount of water in the air.

Man as a product of the environment, is affected, both negatively and positively, by said environment just as it, in turn influenced by him. Climate, of all the environmental factors, is the most important, affecting health indirectly through its influence on plants, animals, insects and microbes, and directly by taxing the body’s physiological reserves. Climate chiefly determines the distribution, type and density of vegetation, including crops. It influences the range of animals that can be hunted or tended. It controls the growth and distribution of microbes and insects that may transmit them or may act as pests. Thus wealth, nutrition, education and development, and their interaction with health, depend to a large extent on climate.

The Harmattan, despite its adverse health effects, is not without some health benefits to man. For example, the low temperature associated with it is unfavourable for breeding of mosquitoes thus reducing the incidence of malaria. The skin, the eyes and the respiratory tract which directly communicate with the atmosphere, the later via the nose and mouth, are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of this weather. The skin is usually dry with accompanying cracking of the lips, sole of the feet and even the skin itself. The body extremities such as the hands and feet are sometimes too cold to generate unpleasant symptoms. Babies and the elderly are particularly prone to hypothermia (core body temperature below 35 degrees centigrade) due to suboptimal temperature regulating mechanism. The skin can be kept healthy by topical application of oily creams and weather friendly dressing. This is perhaps the best time to explore the cultural advantage of wearing babanriga and suits, as it pleases one, to keep warm. As we use various means depending on our socioeconomic status to keep our homes warm, extra caution must be taken to prevent fire accidents. The hospitals in the Northern part of this country usually record increase in fire incidents in this period of the year. 

The eyes are directly exposed to the harsh weather especially the dust particles carried by the wind. Thus itching, foreign body sensation and redness may be common especially in individuals with allergic eye disease. Proper eye hygiene in form of washing with clean water, reduce exposure to dust and protective spectacles, are advocated.

 

The respiratory system, because of its direct communication with the atmosphere, is heavily and badly affected. The respiratory tract has got a defensive mechanism that stops harmful particles in the air from getting to the lungs. This defense may however be overwhelmed by the concentration of the pollutants in the atmosphere, depending on the health status of a person or owing to small sized particles that escape entrapment. The resultant effect is damage to the system predisposing it to infection. Excessive sneezing, cough and catarrh are some of the symptoms common to most people. The harmattan period is not the best of weathers for people with pre existing chronic chest infection. Worthy of mention is asthma, a chronic (long-term) disease that makes it hard to breathe due to inflammatory congestion in the lower respiratory tract. These groups of patients should pay special attention to their health, taking all possible and practicable measures to reduce exposure to the dusty atmosphere in addition to having their inhaler with them all the time. The epidemic of meningococcal meningitis usually experienced between February to May in the ‘meningitis belt’, northern Nigeria inclusive, is an aftermath of Harmattan.

 

The dry, cold and dusty wind associated with Harmattan also triggers sickle cell crises in affected individuals. The reduced blood supply to the tissues results in pain especially from the bones. The blood oxygen is usually reduced in extremes of temperatures, cold in this case. ‘Sicklers’ as patients are often referred to, should be vigilant and keep warm as much as possible to prevent crises. Because of the dusty atmosphere, there is need to imbibe healthy food preservation culture especially food hawkers such as fruit sellers, to prevent food-borne diseases. Fruits and vegetables should be properly washed before eating. Our drinking water containers should also be properly covered.

Protecting Yourself During Harmattan

• The skin can be kept healthy by the application of oily creams and weather friendly clothing. Lip balms or the application of vaseline to the soles of the feet will prevent them from cracking.
• Wearing warm clothes will keep us warm, protect from the severe cold and minimise the likelihood of contracting communicable diseases.
• Proper eye hygiene by rinsing with clean water and reducing the exposure to the dust by wearing protective spectacles is advised.
• Asthma patients or those with chronic respiratory conditions should pay special attention to their health and take all possible and practicable measures to reduce exposure to the dusty atmosphere. They should carry their inhalers with them at all times.
• Sicklers should be vigilant and keep warm as much as possible to prevent crisis.
• Due to the dusty atmosphere we should imbibe a healthy food preservation culture. Fruits and vegetables should be properly washed before eating and those of us that store our drinking water should always ensure that the containers are always adequately covered.
• We can also keep our homes warm but please be careful as this is also the season when we have the most fire incidents. No fire should be left unattended and we should avoid indiscriminate burning of refuse during this season.
• Dusty environments should be avoided to guard against possible ailments.
• Windows should always be closed to avoid dust which can trigger asthma.

Be assured that following these simple measures will keep you fit, fine and most importantly, healthy.

Culled and edited. Images: Google