People suffering from respiratory disorders such as asthma and dust allergies in Bahrain have been cautioned to stay indoors, with rising sand and high winds forecast to continue today (July 8).

Private hospitals have reported a rise in patients with allergies since Monday (July 6) night, while sources confirmed that Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) witnessed an increase of patients yesterday morning, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The Civil Aviation Affairs Meteorological Directorate yesterday warned of rising sand and north-westerly winds, which were expected to gain speed overnight – blowing over billboards and resulting in reduced visibility.

Southbound traffic on Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Highway was halted for almost 40 minutes when a lamppost was blown over at around noon yesterday.

Civil Defence personnel had to wait for an Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) team to disconnect power before removing the lamppost from the road.

SMC sources told the GDN there was at least a 10 per cent increase in the number of allergy and respiratory cases yesterday in the Accident and Emergency department.

“There was a rush of patients with asthma and allergy related issues like cough and cold, with the weather being very windy and dusty,” said sources.

SMC medical services chief Dr Jassim Al Mehza cautioned people to cover their nose and mouth if they had to be outside.

“People working outside cannot avoid it so they need to cover their face if possible to avoid breathing in the sand,” he told the GDN.

“People who are fasting and have allergy related issues must see their physicians and take medicines at the right time to avoid complications.

“Fine dust may irritate the nose, throat, skin and eyes, which could lead to a running nose, cold, fever and cough.

“The SMC usually records an increase in the number of such cases when the weather gets dusty and windy.”

Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Centre general practitioner Dr Jaya Mishra said most patients seen were construction workers.

“We cannot say the numbers, as it is dealt with by both general doctors and paediatricians, but there was a rise in respiratory related cases,” Dr Mishra told the GDN.

“Most of the adult cases were labourers, mainly those who work outside or on construction sites.

“Obviously they were exposed to the heavy wind and dust.

“The dusty wind can also cause eye disturbances, so it would be good if people wear sunglasses.”

Al Hilal Hospital Muharraq chief executive Dr Sai Giridhar also confirmed a rise in allergy related cases since Monday night.

Meanwhile, Meteorological Directorate climatology and observation head Nader Abdulla revealed wind speeds had reached 38 knots on Monday night.

“What we are facing now is not dust but rising sand,” he said.

“There was dust the night before due to heavy winds, which ranged between 30 and 38 knots in the four meteorological stations in Bahrain.”

He added the wind speed dropped to 20 knots yesterday. - TradeArabia News Service