It is a busy Tuesday morning at the Maitama District Hospital, Abuja as a mother leads her five-year-old son to the reception, her son has consistently suffered from nosebleeds as the harmattan season progresses.
In the reception are other patients waiting their turn to consult with the doctor, one lady in her early twenties had earlier complained to the nurse collecting symptoms to record in her file that there was this discomfort in her chest and the mucus production never seems to stop. Another man with ashy skin keeps scratching his eyes.
At the right side of the room is a father gently patting the back of his daughter who is bent over coughing. In this room are a host of illnesses usually encountered in the harmattan season. The harmattan season occurs when the northeastern track winds blow from the Sahara desert over the West African sub-region to the Atlantic ocean. It usually follows from the month of November to March. Depending on the region in West Africa it could be longer or shorter.
In northern Nigeria, it stays the full length while in southern Nigeria it is for a shorter period. The harmattan is characterised by dry, cold and humid weather.
Dr. Omefe Ebele, a paediatrician, said that just as the rainy/wet season is characterised by the increase in swamps which serve as breeding ground for mosquitoes, therefore, propagating malaria, the harmattan season serves as a conduit for such illnesses as common cold, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, nosebleed (epistaxis), asthma exacerbations, allergic rhinitis and sickle cell crisis.
According to him, the weather could either directly or indirectly create an atmosphere for the diseases to thrive. Dr. Ebele said that common colds are common in children during the harmattan and transmitted from one person to another by air droplets from a person that is already infected. He admitted that some symptoms of common cold might share similarities with other illnesses and it was important to differentiate properly the cause of the symptoms experienced.
“It is important to note that what people call common cold might not necessarily be that, the usual cough and catarrh with accompanying chest pain might not necessarily be common cold. Before we can classify an illness as common cold it must have been caused by certain viruses like parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). There are other causes of flu-like symptoms like the current corona pandemic, and you understand that the corona is also a type of virus,” he said. He added that the dry and humid air aided the air droplets to travel over a longer period and a longer range.
During the harmattan season, due to the weather, viral illnesses are enabled to spread. Viruses that cause common cold also cause conjunctivitis, Dr. Ebele asserted, another virus could be adenovirus, and these viruses are also transmitted through air droplets making it highly communicable. “Nosebleeds can be caused by an infection of the nose like bronchopneumonia. It can also be caused by the weather depending on the part of the world you are in. If you are in extremely cold weather, the nose vessels can freeze and burst and cause epistaxis. They occur for a while then stop.
The cooler the weather the easier it is for this to happen,” he said. Allergic rhinitis might share some symptoms with common cold but it is mostly caused by an allergic reaction to something in the weather. Dr. Ebele suggested that pollen which is sent forth from drying or dried flowers might cause allergies in some people along with dust and the temperature. Depending on the individual, allergic rhinitis might go from mild symptoms (sneezing) to severe and life-threatening symptoms (hay fever). he also emphasised that one early symptom of allergic rhinitis is recurrent sneezing.
“Asthma exacerbations is an active ongoing crisis,” says Dr. Ebele. He explained that usually without the constriction of the bronchioles, asthma crises are avoided. Mucus, inflammatory cells and upper respiratory tract infections could cause constriction of the bronchioles leading to a crisis. The harmattan weather exposes the asthmatic patient to the elements that could constrict the bronchioles. Usually, a person with sickle cell disease might not always have a crisis unless it is started by one or more of these triggers including dehydration, infection, emotional stressors and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Some infections that might cause a crisis might be malaria, typhoid and cough and catarrh. The humidity of the harmattan period causes the loss of fluid and a person carrying the disease is disposed to infections such as the upper respiratory tract infection during the period which will precipitate an inflammatory response. Extreme weathers serve as a stressor and the harmattan season is extreme weather. In all Dr. Ebele said, ”If the harmattan does not directly cause any of these issues, it disposes you to things that cause it. During this period people with chronic illness come down with crisis.”
Protection from these illnesses is important during the period. He suggested that for sickle cell patients, there was a need to hydrate properly, drinking the amount of water required for their age and body type as well as avoid emotional stressors given their fragility in this season. Asthma patients could try their best to avoid dusty or humid environments.
For all the common illnesses during the harmattan aside from the sickle cell crisis, one important thing is to avoid overcrowded areas. To prevent common cold and allergic rhinitis, nose masks are hugely beneficial. He suggested a drop of honey for those suffering from cough will free the respiratory tract from mucus but herbal mixtures will not immediately cure the diseases despite what advertisements may say. These illnesses have to be taken seriously and should be referred to a clinic or hospital for adequate care.
Comments 1