The Department of Health made a special call to people with asthma and other respiratory conditions to stay attentive to an immense dust cloud from the Sahara that arropará to the whole of the island, between today and Thursday.
“During these days, we will be getting a huge cloud of dust from the Sahara. Their concentrations will increase for the next few hours, with its peak, between Sunday and Monday. According to experts, we will be living an event of great magnitude, so that asthmatics, people with allergies and other respiratory conditions, as well as those who have been infected with the COVID-19, should be very cautious to not aggravate their health conditions,” said Ibis Montalvo Felix, manager and coordinator of the Asthma Program of the Department of Health.
Montalvo, Felix explained that the dust of the Sahara, from the west of Africa, is characterized by bringing a mass of hot air with very little moisture which, in turn, contains biological materials and chemicals that are potentially harmful to respiratory health. This phenomenon, recurrence yearly in the island, is considered to be a provocative environmental of the symptoms of the disease of asthma.
“We cannot let our guard down, because asthma is a chronic disease, or of long duration, which has no cure, but yes it can be controlled. This condition is characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways, producing increased mucus, which blocks the passage of air. People with asthma, to have their airways that are inflamed, are more likely to be affected to environmental events as the Dust of the Sahara and the increase of fungal spores and pollens in the summer,” he said.
According to the Surveillance System, the Asthma Program, in Puerto Rico, there are approximately 582,000 children and adolescents, and 303,623 adults with asthma disease. The data reflects that one out of every 10 children and one out of every nine adults in Puerto Rico suffer from this health condition.
Among the measures of protection, Montalvo Felix recommended to close doors and windows, and laccase; stay hydrated and in air conditioning, so as not to be exposed to the particulate matter; avoid outdoor activities for prolonged and use a mask when going out to public places.
For its part, the expert stressed the importance of people with allergies and with asthma do not abandon their therapies maintenance. This includes taking your medicines as recommended by the doctor; follow your plan of action to prevent relapse; use sun glasses when out of the home and an air purifier with a HEPA filter -High Efficiency Particulate Air – in your home, to reduce the amount of particulate matter.
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“If you don’t have to go out, stay home to avoid any complication with your condition. This is one of the most significant events of the past few years and have to take it with much seriousness and responsibility,” concluded Montalvo Felix, to advance the concentrations in the dust of the Sahara will begin to lower, slowly, during the week.
Dust from the Sahara contains fungi, bacteria, viruses, spores, mites, pesticides and other harmful chemicals that greatly affect the people who suffer from asthma, allergies and other respiratory diseases.
For additional information you can access www.proyectoasmapr.com or to the page of Facebook of the Asthma Program of Puerto Rico. You can also communicate with clinical staff to 787-765-2929 ext. 4148 for any other questions.
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