How to stay healthy during harmattan

In the last few days, the harmattan season which seems to be minimal in December and disappears in January resumed with full force with many people complaining of biting cold, runny nose and dusty weather among others. The harmattan season is often associated with dust, wind, haze and expanded atmospheric dryness and often occurs between […]

In the last few days, the harmattan season which seems to be minimal in December and disappears in January resumed with full force with many people complaining of biting cold, runny nose and dusty weather among others.

The harmattan season is often associated with dust, wind, haze and expanded atmospheric dryness and often occurs between November to February/March, particularly in most parts of the northern states of the country.

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During this period there is also cold, dryness of the body/skin and some persons get under the weather. The common sicknesses are cough/sneezing, light fever, coldness in the body, while asthmatic patients are often threatened more during this period due to the dust which often intensifies their condition.

There are also painful cracks on some persons’ lips and the heels of their feet, among other discomforts.

In Jos, the Plateau State capital, where the cold weather/harmattan is known to be the severest in the country, the case is uniquely different. And the weather is much complemented with the natural formations of rocks, hills, waterfalls and other splendid sceneries across Jos, and Plateau in general.

The temperature in Jos fluctuates between 10 to 20 degrees Celsius during the harmattan, and sometimes lower. This has sometimes made people to freeze in their rooms and some deaths have been recorded from time to time.

A case in point was that of two young men who died in Gangare, Jos North Local Government Area, following the freezing weather which rocked the town in January last year. They are Saminu and Idris. Alhaji Laboru, a brother of one of the deceased said the death was as a result of the cold.

Yet, people in Jos are so proud of the weather, regardless of its cold impact and other associative health issues during the harmattan season. People in Jos, residents and natives alike, are known to always defend the weather and acknowledge how they enjoy it at all times and season.

Our correspondent spoke with some residents who said they prefer the Jos cold/harmattan season generally than the hot season because during the harmattan they are stronger and healthier.

A resident of Tudun Wada, Bulus Ishaya, said harmattan/cold season is easier to control than heat season because once one covers his or herself properly it would take care of the cold/dust. He said during this season, there are hardly mosquitoes to bite people and afflict them with malaria, adding that for several years now he had not used a fan in his room and that he is still okay and fit.

He said the health-related challenges associated with the harmattan season mainly have effect on residents outside Jos because once one lives in Jos and gets used to the weather, such person would get used to the weather and it would not bring any health challenge to such a person.

He added that what people are calling harmattan in other places/states is what a Jos person sees as heat and can stay there wearing light clothes and putting on fan/air conditioner, wear thick jackets and cover themselves with blankets at night.

Another resident of Kufang along Miango Junction in Jos, Lilian, said the Jos kind of harmattan, which was usually experienced between December to February was not actually the case this time around.

She explained that many people have been attributing the lack of ‘serious’ cold to global warming, while others said it was due to some ‘atrocities’ committed in the land which often altered the weather from time to time, whenever such happens.

However, she said they were still waiting for the harmattan to come in its usual force, even if it is for a week or two because there is no how the harmattan season will just come and go in Jos without the usual impact.

On his part, Haruna Yusuf Abba of Angwar Rogo in Jos said even when the season changes in other parts, Jos remained cold all through, and that the people are always comfortable with the weather.

According to him, Jos weather is the best in Africa, and that with the weather and its uniqueness, people and the authorities alike can make something good out of it with purposefulness and effort.

But the weather, he said, seemed unpredictable sometimes because it changed unexpectedly, unlike before when it was always expected that the harmattan begins from October till March the following year.

Meanwhile, a consultant family physician with the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), and former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Plateau State chapter, Dr. Daniel Meshak, said the harmattan season has consequences on the health of humans because it is characterised by a dry dusty wind.

He explained that the inner linings in the nose and the eyes often get dry, adding that such a situation is always accompanied by an increase in nose bleeding and allergic eye conditions (like red and itchy eyes) because people always tend to pick their noses and touching their eyes at such times.

Dr Meshak, who is also a lecturer with the University of Jos, said during the harmattan period there is also an increase in respiratory tract infections which come with the common cold, sore throat, intensification of asthma cases, sneezing/runny nose, dry skin, low temperature (which has negative consequences on the health) and dehydration which could cause headache, feeling of unwell and in severe cases kidney problem, etc.

He said those affected mostly during the harmattan period are children and the elderly, adding that it is important to protect them during the period since they are more vulnerable to the negative impact of the season.

On how to stay healthy during the harmattan season, the former NMA chairman said: “People need to stay hydrated and take a lot of fluid/water up to about three litres a day because that helps the skin a lot. It is also important for people to apply a lot of jelly/vaseline at all times so that their skin can remain soft and moist.

“Non-medicated sunshade should also be used to protect the eyes against dust, other particles that can affect the eyes and piercing lights/brightness which can affect the eyes.

“It is also advisable that people should constantly use their face masks, especially now that there is COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from COVID-19, wearing face masks has a way of protecting people against things that could cause harm to the body during harmattan due to the dust particles in the air.

“Very important too is the need to get appropriate clothing that would cover one’s body properly in the morning and at night so that they won’t wake up with common cold.

“With respect to distinguishing between other ailments’ symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms, which are almost similar today, I suggest that people go for proper testing and seek the advice of health professionals to determine their exact condition and to avoid assumption or self-medication.

“Again it is imperative for people to take a lot of fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins that will build one’s immunity and help to fight many diseases. Apart from the aforementioned, there is nothing serious one should additionally do to stay healthy during the harmattan.”

He stressed that in terms of weather adaptation, people’s body systems are very dynamic and can adapt to any condition anywhere, stressing that government should empower health institutions in the country to tackle the different health conditions at all times and seasons.