Dubai: With a chill in the air, doctors have urged residents to take care of their health.
Dr Abhilash Ramchandra Nair, internal medicine specialist at Aster Hospital in Al Ghusais, said, “Individuals, especially children, can catch infectious diseases as several viruses are active during this time. Many of these are airborne while some are water and food borne. Symptoms include high fever, skin rashes, respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia and bacterial infections that come through food infecting the gastro intestinal tract.”
Dusty weather and squall-like conditions can trigger non-infectious diseases such as allergic rhinitis and conjucntivis, as well as aggravate asthma, said Dr Noordin Wadhvaniya, pulmonologist at the Canadian Hospital.
“This is the most common type of allergy during the season that results in inflammation of the sub-mucosal lining of the nose that is triggered by an overreaction of our immune system to allergens such as fine sand or silica in the air causing a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy and watery eyes and swelling around the eyes.”
Dr Nair advised residents to get immunised once a year for influenza, keep a three metres distance from those infected, use facial masks and practise simple hand hygiene.
Dr Wadhwaniya also urged residents to stay indoors as far as possible or use a face mask to prevent fine particles from entering the respiratory system during spells of a dust storm.
