You woke up one morning and you noticed that the
weather has changed. It was expected but
probably not so soon. It is yet another season, for
there is indeed a season for everything. The rains
have come and gone and the harmattan is here
again. It comes with its dry, dusty air, hot
temperature in the daytime and cold temperature
at night and early hours of the morning. There is
the tendency for one to have high thirst for water
because the throat dries up easily, the lips crack
easily, the hair breaks easily and one loses more
water either through sweating, talking or urinating.
There are two major seasons in the climate of
Nigeria, the rainy season and the dry season
(popularly known as harmattan season). The rainy
season in Nigeria is usually between March and
November while the dry season is between
November and March.
The dry season is very cold in the mornings and
evenings. The mornings are especially cold before
sunrise. The season is characterized by cold
weather, low humidity, and dust particles
suspended in air, blue cloudless sky and drought
caused by absence of rainfall.
The Harmattan is a seasonal wind which blows
across Northwestern Africa every year from
November through March, at intermittent strengths.
The dry wind lowers the humidity, which can lead
to hot days and cool nights.
This famous wind blows from North to South,
working its way across the Sahara to the Gulf of
Guinea. Along the way, it tends to pick up sand and
dust, turning into a very drying, dusty wind. When
the Harmattan really gets going, the dust can
create a cloudy haze which can sometimes
intensify into an actual sandstorm.
"Harmattan," incidentally, appears to come from
the Twi language of Ghana. However according to
the American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language: Fourth Edition, 2000, harmattan may
have originated from the Arabic word: HARAM,
which literally means; the evil thing. This may not
be unconnected with the adverse effect of this
weather especially in the Sahara. The word
"Harmattan" entered the English language in the
17th century.
Risks associated with the Harmattan
1. Fire outbreaks: Fire outbreaks constitute one of
the common risks during harmattan. This is as
a result of the harmattan, which is associated
with dryness and wind. Between November
and March, quite a lot of fire outbreaks are
often recorded since there is dry wind, which
makes it easy for fire to spread at the slightest
ignition.
2. Poor Visibility: The harmattan haze with
extremely dry dusty wind blows from the
Sahara toward the western coast of Africa.
This can reduce visibility. Drivers beware!
Pilots should also take note that visibility is
reduced due to high concentration of dust
particles in the air which may sometimes
impede air travel.
3. Health Hazards:
a. Allergies: Since there will be
severe cold mixed with dust, people
with asthmatic conditions and any
sort of inhalant allergies are advised
to take precautions because this is
the period when they will be inhaling
all sorts of dust. This is the period
when the Asthmatic suffers more
crises. Many also suffer pneumonia
and bronchitis, especially the very
young and the aged. Those that are
allergic to cold should also endeavor
to go for thick clothing that can cover
them up.
b. The skin: The skin is usually dry
with accompanying cracking of the
lips, sole of the feet and even the
skin itself.
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 babban riiga
and suits.
c. The eyes: 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, reduced exposure to dust and
protective spectacles are advocated.
d. Sickle cell anaemia: The dry, cold
and dusty wind associated with
Harmattan also triggers sickle cell
crises in affected individuals. Sickle
cell anaemia to recall is a genetic
disease in which the red blood cells
become sickle under a condition of
low oxygen tension leading to
blockage of small blood vessels. 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 the
patients are often referred to, should
be vigilant and keep warm as much
as possible to prevent crises.
e. Food borne diseases: Because of
the dusty atmosphere, there is need
to imbibe healthy food preservation
culture especially food hawkers such
as fruits, vegetables etc to prevent
food borne diseases. Fruits and
vegetables should be properly
washed before eating.Our drinking
water containers should also be
properly covered.
f. The epidemic of meningococcal
meningitis usually experience
between February to May in the
‘meningitis belt’, northern Nigeria
inclusive, is an aftermath of
Harmattan.
g. Dehydration: Lots of fluid should be
taken to compensate for loss of
water from the body into the
atmosphere through respiration,
perspiration and urinating.
Harmattan is the period when the throat gets sore,
sneezing is frequent, sometimes the eyes become
watery or reddish, frequent headaches, sputum in
your saliva because of catarrh and then cold and
over time, cough. All these symptoms for just one
season!
The Harmattan, despite its adverse health effects,
is not without some benefits to man. For example,
the low temperature associated with it is
unfavorable for breeding of mosquitoes thus
reducing the incidence of malaria. The cool wind
also brings relief from the oppressive heat. It also
makes for some beautiful sunrises and sunsets!
The Harmattan is a natural phenomenon that we
have to contain with. That notwithstanding, man’s
alteration of his natural environment, help fuel
these natural hazards with attendant health
consequences. Desert encroachment by human
activities in form of deforestation must be
discouraged by the relevant authorities. It is not
enough to observe ceremonial tree planting
campaigns yearly without devising a means of
nurturing them. Alternative means of fuel such as
coal would go a long way in reducing the societal
demand for fire wood for cooking.
Environmental sanitation and enacting and
enforcing laws to regulate environmental pollution
from industrial bye products are all measures that
will minimize the adverse health effect of this
natural hazard. Indeed, there is no weather that
would fully be accepted by all humans no matter
how favorable it is. God in his wisdom alternate
weathers to suit all His creatures and not only
man. Our challenge is to live to adapt to the not
too favorable weather by adopting personal and
collective measures to maximize the health
benefits accrued to it and minimize the opposite.
Here’s wishing you healthy and safe Harmattan
period!

culled from: princcehood..com/2011/12/harmattan-is-here-again.html?m=1

Informative piece there. How does one prevent the watery eyes, running nose?