City dwellers are having hard times managing the Harmattan season that comes with dry windy conditions. The time has come when Yaounde inhabitants cannot stop gnashing their teeth because of the detestable climatic condition. The Harmattan season is around. The Harmattan, which is that dry and dusty West African Trade Wind that blows southwards from the Sahara Desert into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March is currently blowing across the town of Yaounde. People are becoming increasingly irritable especially in the mornings as the dry dusty wind blows across the city carrying particles that are believed to be dangerous to human health.

In spite of the shinning sun, people cannot stop complaining about the dry cold that penetrates the skin and nostrils. Although warmly dressed from head to toes, the skin, eyes and the respiratory tract which directly communicate with the atmosphere, the later via the nose and the month, are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of the Harmattan weather. Many complain of their skin getting dry, accompanied by the cracking of lips, sole of the feet and even the skin. Babies and the elderly are particularly prone to hypothermia (core body temperature below 35 degrees centigrade) due to sub optimal temperature regulating mechanism. Individuals are seeking various ways of reducing the impact of Harmattan on their skin. Many girls are going in for serum to accompany their body lotion. Others have resolved to the traditional “minyanga or palm kenel oil” and Vaseline as their skin lotions. Besides oily creams, cold weather friendly dressing is in-vogue.

Rene Mata, an inhabitant of Yaounde says her body extremities such as her hands and feet get too cold nowadays, generating unpleasant symptoms. The eyes are directly exposed to the harsh weather especially the dust particles carried by the wind. Thus itching, foreign body sensation and redness of eyes is common especially in individuals with allergic eye disease. Medical doctors advise for proper eye hygiene through washing with clean water as well as wearing protective spectacles to reduce exposure to dust.

Many people are currently suffering from problems such as catarrh, excessive sneezing and cough. This is because the respiratory system is heavily and badly affected by the Harmattan wind since these organs are directly exposed to the atmosphere. Experts say the respiratory tract has got a defensive mechanism that stops harmful particles in the air from getting to the lungs. This defence may however be overwhelmed by the concentration of the pollutants in the atmosphere, depending on the health status of a person or owing to small sized particles that escape entrapment. The resultant effect is damage to the system, predisposing it to infection. The Harmattan period is not the best of weathers for people with pre-existing chronic chest infection.