Monsoon alert: Are you suffering from diarrhoea? Know how to prevent it

Take the precautions listed below.

We feel pleasant during monsoon as it gives us respite from the scorching heat. Also, during monsoon, we all tend to crave for bhajiya, vada and chaat. But, one can suffer from diarrhoea due to food and water contamination. Diarrhoea is caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms. Diarrhoea is persistent in monsoon and a person may suffer from loose or watery stools. Acute diarrhoea lasts for a day or two and goes away on its own. But chronic diarrhoea can last for a longer period of time and can be alarming.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that "Diarrhoeal disease is a leading cause of child mortality and morbidity in the world, and mostly results from contaminated food and water sources. Worldwide, 780 million individuals lack access to improved drinking-water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation. Diarrhoea due to infection is widespread throughout developing countries."

Here are the symptoms and the preventive measures one should take to tackle it.

Symptoms:

• You may feel the urgency to go to the toilet
• One can get abdominal cramps and pain
• Vomiting and weakness

According to UNICEF, "Diarrhoea is a leading killer of children, accounting for approximately 8 per cent of all deaths among children under age 5 worldwide in 2016. This translates to over 1,300 young children dying each day, or about 480,000 children a year, despite the availability of simple effective treatment." Here's aMeal plan to ease diarrhoea

Preventive measures:

• Make sure you drink boiled water:Dr Aparana Date, General Physician, Aparna Date's clinic, Mumbai says, "Many patients are visiting me complaining of diarrhoea. In order to keep it at bay, see to it that you drink a lot of boiled water and stay hydrated.
• Good personal hygiene: Don't eat food or drink anything from unhygienic places. Wash your hands before eating food. Keep your surroundings clean as well.
• Say no to uncooked food: It is a strict no-no. Make sure that you cook your food well. Also, don't eat stale food. Wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
• Cut down on junk, spicy and oily food: As per Dr Aparana Date, one should not consume uncovered junk food as it can wreck your health. 5 drinks that help ease symptoms of diarrhoea

Image Source: Shutterstock