Protect Yourself From Monsoon Diseases
by Premier Hospitals | September 27, 2018 |
Monsoons are the best time to bring out the child hidden in you. Right from venturing out on the streets to get drenched, to making paper boats and seeing them float in the water, to eating street food, monsoons are the best time to have fun.
Yet, along with a lot of relief and freshness, monsoon also brings with itself, diseases that could kill the joy of the season for you. This is the time when mosquitoes breed, when viral diseases spread through touch and food, and when getting drenched can leave you with cold and fever. Monsoons are the time when hospital beds are filled and doctors ask people to be careful. A few diseases you should watch out for are,
- Viral fever: Fever from viruses in the air and water causing fatigue, chills, body aches.
- Influenza (Cold and Flu): A contagious monsoon disease which affects the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat).
- Skin diseases: Monsoons bring with them a range of skin infections that you should be careful of.
- Malaria: A common water-borne disease spread by the female Anopheles mosquito, which breeds on contaminated water.
- Typhoid: Another water-borne bacterial infection caused from consumption of contaminated food or water. This infection is known to stay in the gallbladder even after the disease is cured.
- Dengue: Being bitten by the tiger mosquito (Aedes Aegypti), which has black and white stripes and typically bites early in the morning, causes dengue, which can turn fatal if not treated in time.
- Cholera:Â A deadly bacterial disease caused by contaminated food and water and also poor hygienic conditions. If deprived of immediate medical attention, it can lead to death within hours.
- Hepatitis A: A highly contagious liver infection caused due to the hepatitis A virus. It is a waterborne viral infection. Jaundice is one of the diseases that is caused because of Hepatitis A.
- Gastroenteritis: Gastroenteritis and food poisoning are common during the monsoon season because water sources can get contaminated by the monsoon rains.