Tips For Harmattan Season

For those of us who love the Harmattan season, our love for it comes at a price. According to experts on health,
the change in the environment with results in Harmattan brings about an increase in the emergence of some chest and respiratory infections, therefore Nigerians should concern themselves with how they should prevent themselves from those infections. In the spirit of staying healthy for Christmas and New Year celebrations, we have put together some of the infections or diseases that comes with Harmattan; their signs and symptoms and how you should protect yourself…

Harmattan period usually comes with dryness and dust because there is little amount of water in the atmosphere(low humidity), this increases the spread of infections or diseases such as dry skin, cold, cough, catarrh, asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Cold: is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that affects the nose. Coughing, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and fever are signs of the disease. And you know the weather can be cold during Harmattan, so it is very important to wear appropriate clothing to keep you warm and the cold out.
Dry Skin: This condition is very common during Harmattan. You know your skin feels very dry and rough. To prevent this very uncomfortable feelings, avoid using very harsh soaps this period, apply moisturizers frequently on your skin that can protect the skin from dryness and make sure you drink lots of water.
Catarrh: This is an unpleasant nasal congestion with a build-up of mucus, usually in the nose, throat, or chest. Ensure you take lots of fruits and vegetables with Viatmin C to help boost your immunity and protect you from these infection. And for those of you who might have already caught it, just take looks of fruits with Vitamin C and inhaling steam from a bowl of hot (but not boiling) water also helps.
Asthma: This is the best time for Asthma patients to take a lot of care to protect themselves because they usually have a lot of attacks during this period because of the Harmattan dust. Where appropriate clothing, do not expose yourself to dust or cold
Cough: This is a reflex action, that helps clear your airways of mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke which aren’t alien to the Harmattan period. To prevent this, you could wear a nose mask when out and about in town. And for those of you who might already have it, just increase your fluid intake. What this does is to keep the mucus thin and helps you cough it up.
Its almost Christmas, so protect yourselves from these infections so nothing stands in your way of having a very merry Christmas!!!Informationg