The rainy season has arrived. Not only can the wet period affect your mental health by keeping you indoors most of the day, it can also make your body vulnerable to sickness.
According to the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), there are six common diseases that you should keep an eye out for during this time of year. There are:
1. Viral diseases: Influenza is the most widely known seasonal viral disease. In addition, we, especially those of us who have kids, should never overlook the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The transmission of RSV happens among infants and kids and can cause deadly respiratory tract infections.
2. Sore throat: Throat soreness can be irritating and painful. Sore throats can be caused by both viral infections, such as the common cold, and bacterial infections, which might lead to strep throat.
3. Food poisoning: Diarrhea, intestinal infections and stomach pain are prevalent during the rainy season. The TCELS emphasized that E. coli-contaminated food ranks among the top common causes for food poisoning. Having freshly cooked meals is one of the best ways to circumvent this disease.
4. Skin infections: Polluted rain can inflame preexisting flesh wounds. You should keep scrapes or abrasions away from the rain, and quickly dry any wounds that do get wet.
5 Leptospirosis: Flooding on the road after heavy rain can promote the entry of bacteria to your body through unhealed breaks in your skin. Symptoms caused by Leptospiral infection include fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, respiratory distress and even renal interstitial tubular necrosis.
6 Dengue fever: This virus is transmitted by multiple species of mosquito. It can cause fever, headache, muscle and joint pains and a characteristic skin rash. Once the disease develops into the final stage, it can even cause bleeding and shock, which can result in death.
Even though it’s difficult, you should regularly wash your hands and feet and keep yourself dry during the rainy season. If you have one of the aforementioned symptoms, regardless how mild it is, please go see a physician as soon as possible.
