2 days ago
Monsoon brings viral, skin, gastro diseases
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Kolkata: While monsoon has provided relief from the heat, it has brought with it a host of diseases, ranging from skin and viral infections to gastrointestinal issues, as well as vector-borne and water-borne ailments.
According to doctors, the number of such patients will rise over time, cautioning the need for preventive measures.
Even as vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria are the most dreaded during monsoon, health experts said this was also the season when some viruses and bacteria thrive. Scrub typhus, which is mostly common in rural areas, has also become a health concern in the city in the past few years.
"We have started getting an unusually high number of typhoid cases.
People should cut down on unhygienic street food as it is caused by contaminated food and water. So far, I got only one case of dengue, but the number could go up fast if people let mosquitoes," said internal medicine specialist Rahul Jain of Belle Vue Clinic.
Internal medicine specialist Joydeep Ghosh of Fortis Hospital Anandapur said the main health concerns during the monsoon included chest infections due to temperature changes, skin infections, water-borne diseases like typhoid and viral hepatitis.
"Carrying an umbrella and extra clothes can save you from cold and cough. It is necessary to change into dry clothes after getting wet, especially for COPD patients.
One should also take showers after getting drenched," said Ghosh.
Even as the state health department has already started its mosquito-control measures along with respective civic bodies, doctors said that the public should also be responsible for keeping ailments at bay. "Monsoon is a much-needed respite from the scorching summer. However, the rainy season also brings with it a host of infections and health woes, ranging from an increased incidence of cough, cold, and flu due to drastic temperature changes to viral fever, gastroenteritis, and mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya," said medicine professor Alakes Kumar Kole of Neotia Mediplus.
