As we close in on the month of June, the monsoons are all set to welcome us. But the rainy season brings with it both health and sickness. The abrupt change in climatic conditions can have serious and minor effects on your health but these issues can be prevented by taking a few precautionary measures. Let’s have a look at some of the diseases that arise due to the monsoons that you should be wary about.
Malaria:
Malaria, one of the most common diseases of the monsoon season, is a disease caused by a plasmodium parasite, transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, pain in the body, and sweating. Malaria kills more than 40, 000 people every year and almost half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria.
Cholera:
Cholera is a bacterial disease that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. It usually spreads through water and drinking contaminated water can be a primary cause for contracting this disease. Diarrhea, liquid stool, muscle pain and weight loss are some the symptoms of this disease.
Chikungunya:
Chikungunya is one of the most commonly heard of diseases in recent years, the disease spreads through the bite of the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. Chikungunya doesn’t kill but the disease causes severe and painful limb deformity that may last several months. The anti-viral medication for this disease is not yet available.
Typhoid:
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a bacterial infection caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. Drinking or eating food or water contaminated by this bacteria can cause the disease. Poor appetite, headaches, general aches, fever as high as 104 degrees, lethargy, and diarrhea are some of the symptoms. The effects may vary from mild to severe and usually begin six to thirty days after exposure to said bacteria.
Leptospirosis:
Caused by a corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira this infection is contracted by coming into contact with dirty rain water. It is also transmitted by both wild and domestic animals The most common animals that spread the disease are rodents. The symptoms of this disease include high fever and chills, vomiting or nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Hepatitis A:
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. It is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route, either through person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated food or water.
Common cold and flu:
Although the common cold and flu share some of the same symptoms (cough, sore throat), they are actually caused by different viruses. The flu can have much more serious consequences than a cold and causes more nasal problems than it too. Fever, fatigue and muscle aches tend to be more severe with the flu.
Consult with some of the best general physicians in Bangalore at Manipal Hospitals