Many countries in the Middle East are experiencing a severe dust storm, which threatens health risks, so how do you protect yourself from it?

Asthma and dust patients

In Qatar, the Ministry of Public Health has warned of the health risks associated with the dust wave that the country is currently exposed to, especially the complications that asthma patients or those with chest diseases and the elderly may be exposed to.

The Ministry emphasized the importance of:

  • Avoid direct exposure to dust and dirt during the dust wave currently.

  • The necessity of staying at home as much as possible, and not leaving it unless necessary, in order to avoid any health complications that may occur as a result of inhaling dust.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health, said that in the face of what the country is currently experiencing from a wave of dust, it is important to take preventive measures to avoid health risks that may result from these weather conditions. Especially in people who have chest diseases, allergies and asthma.

The latest aerial images show the formation of a dust mass in the north of the Arabian Peninsula, whose impact may reach the country’s atmosphere from the last hours of the night until tomorrow morning, which leads to a decrease in the horizontal visibility of less than 3 km in some areas.

#Qatar pic.twitter.com/Xqzsav6Xbv

- Qatar Meteorology (@qatarweather) May 16, 2022

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani advised the following:

  • Ensure that doors and windows are closed tightly, to prevent dust and dirt from entering buildings and homes.

  • Use wet towels to seal small openings in windows or under doors if necessary.

  • Avoid going out into open areas when winds are strong and visibility is low, due to dust hanging in the air.

  • Wash the face, nose and mouth frequently to prevent dust from reaching the lungs.

  • When going out, be sure to wear a protective mask to cover the nose and mouth, with the need to change the mask or tissues constantly.

  • Avoid rubbing the eyes so as not to get infections.

  • When going out, be sure to wear airtight safety glasses.

  • For people who have had recent eye or nose surgery, exposure to dust and dirt should be avoided, as dust suspended in the air can cause health complications.

  • It is necessary to start using preventive medicines prescribed by doctors for people who are more susceptible to severe allergic diseases even before the appearance of allergy symptoms on them, in order to prevent any health complications associated with exposure to dust.

  • For individuals who work in open places, it is important to follow preventive measures, and to work as much as possible in a rotation system to reduce the period of direct exposure to dust, with the importance of making sure to wear a mask over the mouth and nose to protect the respiratory system.

  • Go to health centers and hospitals in the event of any of the symptoms of respiratory allergies resulting from dusty weather.

Driving during a dust storm

It is also advised - according to the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar - when you are driving during dusty weather, make sure to keep the windows closed and to use the air conditioning instead of the outside air.

A dust storm sweeps the Gulf states, amid warnings from meteorological centers

A wave of sandstorms is sweeping the Arabian Gulf region, some of which have obscured vision, which necessitated the competent authorities to provide special measures to confront them.

A heavy wave of dust blew in most of the Gulf countries.

Videos circulating on social media showed a wave of dust laden with dust, which caused low visibility, amid official warnings from meteorological centers.

On Monday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health announced that more than two thousand cases of suffocation had been recorded due to the dust storm, while the ministry mobilized its efforts to deal with emergency cases.

The ministry's spokesman, Saif Al-Badr, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "health institutions are mobilized with their efforts to provide health services in health departments and hospitals," noting that "the ministry recorded today two thousand cases of suffocation of varying severity in various health institutions."

Al-Badr called on Iraqis to “wear a mask and stay at home as much as possible, especially those who suffer from asthma and heart failure,” stressing the need to “wear protective clothing and glasses when going out.”