The Harmattan is a cold-dry[1] and dusty trade wind, blowing over the West African subregion. This northeasterly wind blows from the Sahara Desert into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March (winter).[2] The name comes from or is related to an Akan cognate.
Temperatures can easily be as low as 9 °C (48 °F). However, sometimes, in the afternoon, the temperature can soar to as high as 30 °C (86°F), while the relative humidity drops under 10%. The Harmattan season differs from winter, because it is characterized by cold–dry, dust-laden wind, and also wide flunctuations in the ambient temperatures of the day and night. On its passage over the Sahara, it picks up fine dust and sand particles (between 0.5 and 10 micrometres). The air is particularly dry and desiccating when the Harmattan blows over the region.
Harmattan affects our health in many ways: our skin, eyes and respiratory tract most vulnerable to the effects of this weather.
The skin suffers dryness
with accompanying cracking of lips,
soles of the feet and sometimes the skin itself. The eyes also suffer from the abundance of dust particles carried along by the winds, thus itching, foreign body sensations and redness may be common especially in those with allergic eye diseases.
A lot of diseases are easily triggered due to this change in weather and lots of care must be taken to avoid fatal consequences.
Here are a few tips on how to make it through this dry patch;
1. Drink lots of water!
2. Avoid carbonated soft drinks. They dehydrate your skin quite bad.
3. Avoid antiseptic soaps during this
weather. Use them only when you
have a skin infection it is meant to treat.Use it even then for a short period and stop.
4. Keep the skin healthy by applying
oily creams and wearing weather
friendly clothing.
Temperatures can easily be as low as 9 °C (48 °F). However, sometimes, in the afternoon, the temperature can soar to as high as 30 °C (86°F), while the relative humidity drops under 10%. The Harmattan season differs from winter, because it is characterized by cold–dry, dust-laden wind, and also wide flunctuations in the ambient temperatures of the day and night. On its passage over the Sahara, it picks up fine dust and sand particles (between 0.5 and 10 micrometres). The air is particularly dry and desiccating when the Harmattan blows over the region.
Harmattan affects our health in many ways: our skin, eyes and respiratory tract most vulnerable to the effects of this weather.
The skin suffers dryness
with accompanying cracking of lips,
soles of the feet and sometimes the skin itself. The eyes also suffer from the abundance of dust particles carried along by the winds, thus itching, foreign body sensations and redness may be common especially in those with allergic eye diseases.
A lot of diseases are easily triggered due to this change in weather and lots of care must be taken to avoid fatal consequences.
Here are a few tips on how to make it through this dry patch;
1. Drink lots of water!
2. Avoid carbonated soft drinks. They dehydrate your skin quite bad.
3. Avoid antiseptic soaps during this
weather. Use them only when you
have a skin infection it is meant to treat.Use it even then for a short period and stop.
4. Keep the skin healthy by applying
oily creams and wearing weather
friendly clothing.
5. Use lip balms and apply Vaseline to the soles of the feet to prevent them from cracking. 6. Remember to keep your hair moisturized and also do hairstyles that keep your hair ends hidden. You can also wrap up your hair to protect it from the dust. 7. Wear warm clothes; they will protect you from the severe cold. 8. Rinse your eyes with clean water and reduce the exposure to the dust by wearing protective spectacles. |
9. 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 and they should carry their inhalers with them at all times. 10. Sicklers should be vigilant and keep warm as much as possible to prevent any crisis. 11. Due to the dusty atmosphere we should practice 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. 12. We can also keep our homes warm but please be careful as this is also the season when we have the most fire accidents. All fires should not be left unattended and we should avoid indiscriminate burning of refuse during this season. |
