For a healthy rainy season
After the sizzling heat, the first showers of monsoon are wholeheartedly welcomed by everyone. With the repeated spells of rain, the season makes a suitable environment for some microorganisms to grow and produce certain diseases.
Due to the high humidity in the air there are various infectious bacteria and viruses which become active and this leads to fever, throat infections, skin infections etc. Mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Malaria, water-borne illness like Diarrhoea, Cholera, Influenza and certain fungal skin infections like scabies are very common in rainy season. But the diseases are, fortunately, preventable. With simple precautions and certain measures can help prevent infections effectively.
The most common among the band of illnesses this season is dengue, which becomes fatal many cases leading to early death. To win the battle against dengue, experts advised people to drain away stagnant water around the homes, search and destroy possible breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes like old tires, broken vases and bottle caps; wear long sleeve shirts and pants for self-protection. Consult with the health professionals for fever that is already two days or more and associated with rash, severe bodyache, eyeache and joint pain.
Water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever also spreads rapidly in this season. Experts pointed out certain ways to avoid these illnesses. They advised to drink only safe and clean water and to boil our drinking water before we take. We should keep food away from insects and rats by covering it. Proper wash and cooking of food and use toilet properly and clean it regularly can help to minimise the problem. The single most important thing is to wash hands with soap and clean water after using the toilet and before eating, according to experts.
Meanwhile, health experts stated that we should also watch out for other diseases that are also predominant during rainy season like influenza which is very common during this season. Because this is the period where the climate changes from hot and humid to cold and rainy, people who get caught in heavy rains can catch the disease. Once a person catches influenza, he could easily infect others through coughing, talking and sneezing. To prevent from spreading the flu, they said that a sick person should cover his/her mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing. To avoid getting influenza, we must stay away from crowded places or distance ourselves from people who are coughing or we suspect to be sick with influenza.
Our skin is prone to infections in this weather. Candida, a fungus, is always present on skin. If exposed to water continuously, it will multiple and cause fungal infections.
We can get infection in areas that are difficult to keep dry, such as between your toes, groin area, folds in abdominal area and below or between the breasts. Excessive sweating during the rain due to the humidity can also cause fungal infections. Keeping dry is the foremost step in preventing any sort of fungal infection.
Again, constant drenching in the rain gives way to the possibility of falling prey to a number of scalp problems. Therefore, our hair needs particular attention in the rainy seasons so proper protection is very essential at this time.
The exposure to the rainwater causes damage not only to the hair but also to the scalp and thus causing damage to the hair root. As the scalp gets damaged it gives rise to a lot of problems. The consequent warm, humid condition of the atmosphere gives rise to the growth of bacteria and fungi on the scalp. This may cause infection on the scalp, which causes painful pus-filled boils on the scalp and also causes several itchy, flaking patches of fungal infection, and the ultimate result is hair loss in the affected area. Not only that, the dandruff problems also gets worsened in this season, as the fungal infection flourishes the growth of dandruff problem. And not to mention the itching and irritation are at its height in the monsoons.
First of all to prevent these problems it is very much necessary to have frequent shampooing and keep the hair dry as much possible. If your hair is exposed to the rain every day, you may even wash your hair every day with a mild shampoo. Keeping the hair clean is far more important. But when you are facing problems with your hair, or you have already got fungal infections then it is recommended to consult a dermatologist immediately for a better suggestion in this respect.
It is recommended to avoid brushing or tying up your hair when wet, as the hair tends to break very easily when wet. Use a dry towel to soak the water from your hair. Let the hair dry completely and then comb it with a wide toothed comb, and avoid brushing it.
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