(Trinidad Express) Those with asthma, allergies and cardiac conditions, beware.
Another wave of Saharan dust is expected to hit Trinidad and Tobago over the next two days.
The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has warned that the pesky visitor from across the Atlantic is here again, with higher levels of dust present anticipated for today and tomorrow.
In a notice on its Facebook page, the Met Service included a satellite image of the method used to track the movement of the dust.
It should be noted that gaps in such images are sometimes caused by cloud cover and moisture at certain layers of the atmosphere, the Met Service said.
Significantly dry areas may also “register” as dust, even with the absence of such, the Met Service said.
Saharan dust originates in the Sahara Desert and is able to migrate thousands of miles westwards to the Caribbean, buoyed and pushed by strong desert winds.
It’s often thought migration is seasonal and occurs towards the end of the year ,but the dust is usually present, varying at times to severely affect air quality as it did in T&T last October.
Most of the dust is deposited in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Amazon rainforest, but concentrated plumes are able to travel to the Caribbean, Central America, North America and Europe.
Saharan dust doesn’t only affect persons with respiratory problems and allergies, those with heart conditions must also be alert.
According to the Ministry of Health, the elderly and children should also be monitored during times of high dust presence.
It warns that dust particles may also trigger a dry cough, sore throat, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing and runny nose, including in persons with no pre-existing conditions.
However, “Those with pre-existing conditions should stay indoors when possible and should have their rescue inhaler with them at all times,” the ministry had previously said.
Symptoms usually disappear once dust levels are reduced, but “affected persons should seek medical attention if they experience severe shortness of breath (difficulty breathing), persistent fever (for more than 2-3 days) or a severe worsening of a pre-existing condition”.
Those currently battling the influenza and common cold viruses are also at higher risk and should be cautious.
The ministry advises that those with pre-existing conditions should employ the use of a dust mask when venturing out.
