Juhi Kumari
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Written By: Juhi Kumari | Published : August 28, 2019 3:27 PM IST
If children get wet, make them change into clean and dry clothes immediately after reaching home.
After a long summer of scorching heat and grime, the monsoons bring with it the much-needed rains. But, along with the refreshing winds and lashing downpour, this season also brings with it a lot of infections. During humid weather, certain diseases and conditions spread easily and affect many people. Also, it is the time of the year when humidity makes your digestive system and immunity weak. This further increases the risk of monsoon ailments.
Though monsoon ailments can affect anyone, children are especially vulnerable to them. But there is nothing to worry about. Just follow a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet and you will be fine. To prevent common infections, you need to know about them. Here, we list a few monsoon ailments that can affect you during this season.
Both are mosquito-borne diseases. These are quite common during the monsoon season. Dengue has symptoms like high fever, joint and muscle pain, rashes, etc. This viral infection was reported to infect over 3.34 million people world-wide in the year 2016, says WHO. Living in a tropical area or prior dengue fever can potentially increase your likelihood of getting the disease.
Malaria reportedly affected 219 million people around the globe in 2017 and claimed the lives of around 4,35,000 people. If you have malaria, you may experience symptoms like fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, headaches, etc. If not treated on time, malaria can lead to cerebral malaria, organ failure, anaemia, low blood sugar level, etc.
Prevention tips: To prevent these monsoon ailments, you need to save yourself from mosquito bites. For that, you need to make sure that your stored water is covered and that there is proper water disposal in and around your house. Also, avoid water stagnancy and wear full-sleeved clothes. Additionally, do not forget to use mosquito repellent.
Diarrhoea is basically an intestine infection. Symptoms are loose watery stool, fever, nausea, abdominal cramps, blood in urine, mucus in stool, etc. Common during the monsoon season, there are various factors that are known to cause diarrhoea. And, the most common is having contaminated food or water. As far as its diagnosis is concerned, your doctor will perform blood tests, urine tests and/or flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. To treat diarrhea, antibiotics are given to the patient. Also, lots of fluid consumption is advised.
Prevention tips: Wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking. Also, do not opt for foods rich in fats and sugar. During the monsoons, you may be tempted to indulge in such delicacies. But this may cause problem in digestion and stomach cramps. Make sure that the water you drink is clean. It is always better to drink water after boiling it. Additionally, use separate towels to prevent the spread of infection and use a hand sanitiser.
Having jaundice means secretion of excess bilirubin in your system. Symptoms are pale-coloured stool, itchy skin, diarrhoea, fever, weight loss, loss of appetite, etc. can potentially cause various ailments. Health conditions that can cause destruction of red blood cells are capable of causing jaundice. So, you also need to beware of malaria, sickle cell anemia, autoimmune disorders, etc.
Caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria, typhoid spreads through contaminated water and food. Usually, the symptoms of typhoid appear after one to three weeks of the infection. Some of these signs include fever, headache, dry cough, abdominal pain, rashes, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc. If not treated on time, it may lead to intestinal bleeding, sepsis, etc. For diagnosis of typhoid, doctors use body fluid or tissue culture. Antibiotics are used to treat this condition.
Prevention tips: To keep these monsoon ailments at bay, make sure that there is better sanitation. Have clean drinking water and wash your hands properly before and after every meal. In case, you have already got the condition, you can go for anti-allergic medicines, antiemetics to get relief from nausea or urge to vomit and pain killers. But make sure you consult your doctors before opting for any of these things.
Pneumonia is an infection that is caused by bacteria and virus that are present in air that we breathe. It is characterised by inflamed air sacs. If you have pneumonia, your air sacs will get filled by fluid that will cause cough. Symptoms are chest pain, fatigue, changes in mental awareness, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, etc. Though anybody can get affected by this disease, it has been found that children who are 2 or younger and people who are more than 65 are more vulnerable to this condition.
There are certain risk factors including chronic diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease etc. Smoking, being hospitalised and a weakened immune system can put you at increased risk of developing pneumonia. Your doctor may recommend blood tests, pulse oximetry, sputum test and chest x-ray. To treat pneumonia, doctors give antibiotics, cough medicines and pain relievers.
Prevention tips: This lung infection can be prevented by adopting certain basic habits. Clean your hands regularly using hand sanitiser and eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Consume freshly prepared-food and avoid eating out as much as possible. Also, cover your mouth when someone else is coughing. Do the same when you cough. Indulge in daily exercise to keep your immunity strong. Additionally, avoid bad habits like smoking or/and drinking alcohol.
