Dubai: The weather bureau has warned that windy conditions will blow up dust and reduce visibility in many areas across the UAE.
Dust in the air reduced visibility in Dubai on Wednesday to about 4.5kms. In Al Ain, the visibility was down to 3.5kms, the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), said.
The gusty winds of up to 18 knots also whipped up waves along the shoreline with some rising to a lofty six feet.
A doctor told Gulf News there was no way one could escape the dust in the air and the only way not to trigger allergies was to stay indoors.
Asthma sufferers
The paediatrician said if asthmatic children have to be outdoors then it is advisable to seek advice from the family doctor to ease symptoms.
Dr Meenu Agarwal said it was better to organise indoor activities for children under these adverse conditions. "Anybody else will sneeze or cough out the dust particles that lodge in the lungs. But if that happens to an asthmatic, the body becomes hyperactive," she said. "I don't see people using masks here," said the doctor, who recommended people use face masks when venturing out.
Another doctor suggested special face masks sold in hardware stores used by painters. It filters out the tiny particles of dust, he said.
The paediatrician said she was seeing a number of patients suffering from weather-related ailments. "It's the dusty season and it is just hanging there in the air," she said.
