Brace yourself for rains, infections this UAE winter

UAE residents are likely to wake up to another cold morning and scattered rains today as winter has started setting in, spreading flu, cold and other viral infections.
Rough seas are expected to continue till tomorrow. The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) has warned beach-goers and fishermen to stay away from the seas.
Strong winds with speeds of 65kmph were recorded on Tuesday, with waves going up to 15ft.
"The sea will remain rough till Wednesday night ... It will be moderate overnight, but will become rough again by late Thursday morning. So, precautions should be taken," an NCMS spokesperson said.
Jackets were out as the minimum temperature dropped to about 5°C on Tuesday. The Jebel Jais mountain in Ras Al Khaimah recorded the lowest temperature of 2.6°C, while the highest temperature of the day, 23.9°C, was recorded at the Fujairah Airport at 1pm.
It drizzled in parts of Dubai and Sharjah on Tuesday while Abu Dhabi and surrounding areas witnessed light to moderate rains.
Partly cloudy weather will continue today with the amount of clouds seeing an increase over the western areas and inland.
A minimum temperature in the range of 18 to 23° Centigrade and a maximum temperature in the range of 23° to 28° Centigrade are expected.
Chance of fog and mist over the inland region is forecast on Thursday morning.
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Doctors from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) discussed the reasons for increase in infections in the winter season and ways to protect against them.
Dr Alia Rafie, family medicine consultant and head of Al Barsha Primary Health Centre, said: "There is a peak in respiratory illness, especially upper respiratory tract viral infections (URTIs) such as influenza, common cold, bronchitis etc. during the winter months because of the increase in the number of viruses in winter and a general drop in immunity in the winter months.
"People may experience an increase in allergies and dry eye symptoms."
Dr Rafie said children are particularly susceptible to get URTIs due to lower immunity. Children who are prone to getting recurrent infections and adults with chronic diseases and low immunity should opt for the flu vaccine.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com