Stay Healthy During Monsoons!

Being a Family Physician,I come across a lot of diseases especially during the monsoons .Diseases like diarrhoea, viral infections, sore throat, allergic colds and coughs, tend to be prevalent in the monsoons. While prior vaccination prevents several diseases, maintenance of hygiene will keep many others at bay

A lot of these illnesses can be avoided if one takes a few simple precautions.
I find that school -going children are the biggest sufferers primarily in the age group of five to ten years.
With the burden of school as well as home-work being what it is these days,it is better to take preventive measures.
Here are a few health tips:
* Wash your hands properly before eating
* Stay away from roadside food
* Avoid seafood, junk food and leafy vegetables

* Keep yourself dry

Vaccination: Vaccination can protect you from most of the diseases that pop up with the onset of monsoon.
Besides the usual umbrella, windcheaters and raincoats, this monsoon brace yourself with some more safeguards to keep those monsoon associated diseases at bay:

• Avoid consuming outside food especially stale food as during monsoon food gets contaminated quite often. Also, try to distance yourself from roadside foods as it maynot be cooked properly and maybe with infected with disease causing organisms. Home-cooked food is the best choice during the rains.


• As most diseases are water-borne in this season, make it a point to drain accumulated water from your surroundings.


• Many infections occur because of contaminated water. Hence, consume only properly boiled and filtered water.


• While going make sure you feet is not exposed by wearing gumboots and make sure that you wash off the dirt from your feet once you are back home. Don’t walk in the dirty water as it can lead to leptospirosis


• Try to keep yourself dry as dampness has a tendency to give birth to fungus and other skin infections


• Seafood is prone to be contaminated during this season and is known to cause severe food poisoning and gastro-enteric diseases. Hence, avoid seafood in monsoons as much as you can.


• Attend to any wounds immediately as contact with rain-water can contaminate the wound.


• Asthmatics need to be extra careful as change of weather can trigger frequent asthma attacks.


• Use mosquito nets to avoid diseases from mosquito-bites.


• Avoid staying in wet clothes for long as it can result in viral fever as well as cold and cough .