The rainy season is coming, the perfect breeding ground for germs and bacteria which in turn lead to water borne diseases that affects a lot of people. But there are people who want to go out and enjoy the season dancing in the rain. Though it could be a truly exhilarating experience, it comes with a price tag. You are at risk of falling ill in the season and probably this is the last thing you would want should come between you and monsoon enjoyment. In order to keep yourself safe, you need to know the most common diseases that you need to stay away from and their remedies, in case you fall prey.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the most widespread monsoon disease. It is caused due to unhygienic consumption or handling of foods and water.
Symptoms
Diarrhea is having more frequent, loose, watery poo, which may be referred to as 'stools'. The length of time diarrhoea lasts often depends on what caused it. Diarrhoea from norovirus lasts around two days, for rotavirus, the duration is three to eight days,Campylobacter and salmonella infections may last two to seven days and diarrhoea from giardiasis can last several weeks.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the faeces of an infected person. The disease is closely associated with unsafe water or food, inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene.
Symptoms
The incubation period of hepatitis A is usually 14–28 days. Symptoms of hepatitis A range from mild to severe, and can include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). Not everyone who is infected will have all of the symptoms. Adults have signs and symptoms of illness more often
than children. The severity of disease and fatal outcomes are higher in older age groups. Infected children under 6 years of age do not usually experience noticeable symptoms, and only 10% develop jaundice.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may be mistaken for other diseases. Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all. Without treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, respiratory distress, and even death. The bacteria that cause leptospirosis are spread through the urine of infected animals, which can get into water or soil and can survive there for weeks to months. Many different kinds of wild and domestic animals carry the bacterium.
Symptoms
· High fever
· Headache
· Chills
· Muscle aches
· Vomiting
· Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
· Red eyes
· Abdominal pain
· Diarrhea
· Rash
Cholera
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Researchers have estimated that every year, there are roughly 1.4 to 4.3 million cases, and 28 000 to 142 000 deaths per year worldwide1 due to cholera. The short incubation period of 2 hours to 5 days, is 1 factor that triggers the potentially explosive pattern of outbreaks.
Symptoms
Cholera is an extremely virulent disease. It affects both children and adults and can kill within hours. About 80% of people infected with V. cholerae do not develop any symptoms, although the bacteria are present in their faeces for 1-10 days after infection and are shed back into the environment, potentially infecting other people.
Malaria
Malaria is a life-threatening blood disease caused by parasites transmitted to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Once an infected mosquito bites a human and transmits the parasites, those parasites multiply in the host's liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells.
Symptoms
Malaria is an acute febrile illness. In a non-immune individual, symptoms appear 7 days or more (usually 10–15 days) after the infective mosquito bite. The first symptoms – fever, headache, chills and vomiting – may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria. If not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness, often leading to death.
Dengue
Dengue is a specific monsoon disease and the germ of the same is carried by the mosquitoes. Some of the usual symptoms of the disease are body ache, pain in the joints, body rashes and fever. Tiger mosquito is responsible for making you suffer from dengue.
Symptoms
Sudden, high fever
Severe headaches
Pain behind the eyes
Severe joint and muscle pain
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting
Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)
Chikungunya
Chikungunya virus causes high fever and severe joint pain and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These mosquitoes can be identified by the white stripes on their black bodies and legs. They are aggressive daytime biters, with peak feeding activity at dawn and dusk. Its name derives from a Makonde word that translates to ‘disease that bends up the joints’, describing the posture of infected persons experiencing severe joint pain.
Symptoms
The illness characteristically begins with rapid onset of joint pains and may or may not be accompanied by the following: muscle pain, high fever, conjunctivitis and a rash. Incubation period is 2-4 days. There is sudden onset of fever and, with it, a severe, crippling migrating, polyarticular arthritis. This is due to the virus invading and causing inflammation of the cartilage. Between the 2nd and 5th day of illness there is a macular or maculopapular rash, mostly on the trunk and limbs. There may be conjunctivitis and minor bleeding in the skin and eye. Most patients recover within a few days and death is a rarity. Arthritis may persist for rather longer, even several months or years.
Cold & Flu
The most common diseases that are found in rainy season are “cold and flu”. This is usually occurs due to fluctuation in the temperature.
Fungal diseases
In the rainy season you have the chance to suffer from fungal infection. This is the reason it is best that you keep yourself dry. Please try to keep dry the parts of the body which tend to get sweatier in time.
Typhoid
The disease is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi and is highly infectious. The bacteria are present in human faeces, and a healthy person may fall prey to the disease by consuming contaminated food and water (this is known as the faeco-oral route). Some patients carry the infection in their gall bladder even after the disease is cured. The pathogen is the excreted and flies then act as carriers/ vectors, contaminating food and water.
Jaundice
Jaundice is one more common monsoon disease you can suffer from. This is a viral disease and it is caused by contaminated food and water. When you have jaundice you feel extremely weak and the colour of the urine becomes yellow.
Ø Avoid drinking water on the road side and drink water that has been properly purified. The water borne diseases like diarrhea and stomach infections are pretty common.
Ø Better eat seasonal fruits as non- seasonal fruits get infested with worms during the monsoons. Pomegranates, lychees, apples, bananas are among the recommended.
Ø Avoid eating uncooked food and leafy vegetables and fruits. During the rainy season, the chances of germs and infections spreading are higher. Cooking food properly destroys these germ.
Ø Chasing the mosquitoes away during monsoon is really important because stagnant water is the most common place of mosquitoes breeding.
Ø If you get wet in the rains, wash your hands and legs when you reach your destination. Change your clothes as quickly as possible.
Ø Increasing the intake of Vitamin C either in natural form or as food supplement will help you drive away the cold virus faster. It is still a matter of debate among doctors whether Vitamin C is cure for cold.
Ø After you come back home caught in a rain, take a shower, dry yourself and wear dry and clean clothes. The best thing is to make a hot soup for yourself or at least drink a cup of hot milk.
Ø For those of you who are asthmatics, avoid wet walls. Most wet walls promote the growth of fungus which is a trigger for Asthma.
Source: CDC.gov.WHO, WebMed, mayoclinic.org, rappler.com, euorhealth, .thefitindian.com