Summer Bugs
Mehrin Mubdi Chowdhury goes through many summer illnesses that haunt people during the season. She tries to find out ways to prevent these diseases, maintain a healthy body and enjoy the period to its fullest.
We all wait for summer to dive into a pool, surf the waves, relax on the beach, go out for picnics and so much more. The kids get their yearly vacations and travel plans are immediately made by the parents to make the best use of the season. But the season also has its personal off – putting side, bringing in chicken pox, stomach flu, blistery rashes, ear infections and what not. To make sure that the negatives of the month do not upset pre-scheduled entertaining plans, we must take appropriate precaution. Here are few examples of the diseases that find their ground during summer and ways to prevent them. Common Cold, Flu –The main reason we get sick with the flu during summer is because we sweat a lot and we let that sweat dry off on our bodies. Instead of taking an immediate shower we We all wait for summer to might get into an air conditioned room or car, while still being wet, with the sweat. The body reacts negatively to the extremities of temperature and immunity is compromised. Another reason behind getting the common cold is viral. To avoid viral flu please wash hands before meals, cover your nose before sneezing. Keep antibacterial hand-sanitizers always in handy and dap them onto the palms after touching anything that may be prone to contamination. Urinary Tract Infection – This is a common problem for ladies, few men also suffer from this disease. It can be extremely painful limiting the normal life of any person. To avoid getting UTI especially in summer, you have to drink plenty of water and visit the loo every now and then. If 2 litres of water are common for an adult in winter; consumption of at least a litre more should be the norm in summer. Some people have the habit of holding their urine for long hours because they have cleanliness phobia and the inability to use public toilets. For this category of people you must learn to adapt and change the habits; otherwise the problems with UTI will keep on recurring, ultimately affecting the precious kidneys someday. Dehydration – Dehydration is one of the most common negatives of summer. If you haven’t druak enough water, you may be unable to concentrate on work and in worst cases you may even feel dizzy and faint. The solution is to hydrate yourself in regular intervals, to avoid dehydration. If you are not very keen on taking water regularly you can try sipping fresh fruit juices every now and then.
Sun Stroke/Heat Stroke – These happens in many levels and in worst conditions people may lose complete consciousness. Older adults are more prone to this condition. To prevent sunstroke you must stay indoors when the sun is at its mightiest. Especially during the hottest hours of the day – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ear Infections/ Swimmer’s Ear – To prevent water getting into the ear canal; you need to dry your ears carefully with a soft towel, after showering or swimming. Ear plugs can also be worn to prevent the occurrence of the condition. One thing we keep on doing is to stick cotton swabs inside our ears. E.N.T doctors warn us not to do this because the earwax that acts as a lining actually protects us from various infections. Cotton swabs remove the wax making our ears prone to infectivity. Chicken Pox – This can happen during anytime of the year but is predominant during the onset of summer. Children are prone to this disease. If your child gets the disease make sure that you take leave from the school for a few weeks. The main method of prevention is to isolate the affected person from crowds. Once the doctor suggests that the patient is free from any chance of spreading the disease he/she may go back to their normal life. Meanwhile, use medicines provided by the doctor and as natural remedies to itching caused by the blisters you can apply a paste made out of the leaves of the neem tree. This will soothe the sores and make them itch less. To further reduce itching you can use store-bought calamine lotion. Water borne diseases – Typhoid, Cholera, Jaundice all waterborne diseases gain momentum during the summer because the bacteria causing these diseases to thrive in hot temperatures.
Therefore the best method to prevention is to drink only boiled and filtered water during this season. And if you can make it into a habit and drink boiled and filtered water all throughout the year, you’d be protected round the clock. Prickly Heat/Itchy Skin – To prevent suffering, put on prickly heat powder all over the body. Take regular showers and keep yourself protected from the heat of the sun by staying indoors, under the cool shades of trees or inside the confinement of an air-conditioned car. Food Poisoning – Another common illness during the summer spreads from food
contamination. Most foods rot easily due to the intense heat of the season plus the bacteria that causes the disease to thrive in hot temperature. As prevention, try to consume home cooked meals as much as possible rather than street food. Home –cooked meals must also be stored and refrigerated properly to prevent any sort of contamination. Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease – This is a highly contagious virus that causes blisters on the hands, feet and mouth. It causes severe discomfort especially amongst children. They refuse to eat anything because of the little sores that form inside their mouth. Good news is, it usually passes within 10 days and doesn’t require specialized treatment. Home-remedies include salt-water gargling to soothe the effects of mouth ulcers. Prevention can be ensured by washing hands or using hand sanitizers regularly. After reading the article it may occur to you that all diseases thrive in summer and staying indoors rather
than bathing outside in the sun is perhaps a better option. That is absolutely rubbish! You can do whatever you want in summer enjoying the season to its fullest. Just make sure that while enjoying, you have washed your hands properly, avoided crowds, drank plenty of boiled but cool water and enjoyed a good delicious home-cooked meal. That would just be enough to prevent most of the above mentioned illness.
