Owing to low immune system during the rainy season, Nigerians have been enjoined to protect themselves against cold, especially the children who are more vulnerable to cold even as people with runny nose narrate their ordeal.
Runny nose which is described by experts as seasonal rhinitis or inflammation of the nasal passage is common during the season and its symptoms include; itching of the nose, sneezing, coughing and nasal congestion.
It is no respecter of anyone as it affects the rich and the poor, young and old alike. Some of those with the condition who shared their experiences with The Daily Times, said having runny nose could be embarrassing at times – especially when someone has an engagement with the public.
To a 400 level student in Psychology at the University of Port Harcourt, Favour Ifunaya Achuzia, it can be embarrassing to her in extreme cases.
“It keeps me disorganised and makes me very uncomfortable most times. “I keep sneezing and people avoid me. But I try to manage the condition by using more than one handkerchief,” she said. Also, Lagos based entrepreneur, Node Ideawor, told The Daily Times that runny nose embarrasses him, especially when he is having a conversation with someone and his speech is interrupted by coughing and nose-blowing.
“It is even more embarrassing to move around holding my handkerchief on my nose with a swollen face” he lamented. For Josepha Fambonyui, a 100 level law student at the Lagos State University, Ojo, since she knew she suffers a runny nose during the rainy season and Harmattan period, she always gets herself warm clothes to reduce its impact.
A Lagos based singer, Miki Minaje lamented that a runny nose has caused her severe loss in her career. “It always comes unannounced and I experience more during the rainy season. Whenever it comes, singing becomes difficult if not impossible as my voice becomes horrible,” she said.
But Dr. Afolabi Odumade of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, said it is common for people to experience a runny nose and sneezing especially now that we are in the rainy season in Nigeria.
He explained that a runny nose is caused by an inflammation of the nasal passages and that it can also be caused by respiratory tract infections and allergies.
“This condition can be irritating to patients and they experience it in different ways”, he said.
He urged those prone to the condition to step up efforts in protecting themselves against cold. According to him, the risk of developing allergic rhinitis is much higher in people with asthma or eczema and in people who have a family history of asthma or rhinitis.
