Monsoon alert: Diseases you should be wary of

Monsoon alert: Diseases you should be wary of (Thinkstock Photos/ Getty Images)

Rains in Mumbai bring with them a host of diseases. Here is a lowdown on some of the most frequent ones...

Malaria

Symptoms

Fever with chills, followed by sweating, body pain and cold-like symptoms.
The danger signs of severe malaria are convulsions, unconsciousness, drowsiness, confusion, inability to walk, sit, speak or recognise people around. It can also include repeated vomiting, inability to retain oral medication, inability to eat or drink, passage of small quantities of dark urine or no urine, severe diarrhoea, unexplained heavy bleeding from nose or gums, high fever, severe dehydration, anaemia and the whites of the eyes turning yellow.

Prevention

- Protect yourself against mosquito bites.
- Use insecticide-treated mosquito nets at night.
- Spray insecticides at home.
- Apply mosquito repellents to the skin.
- Use mosquito coils.
- Control mosquito breeding.

Leptospirosis

Symptoms

High fever, severe headache, muscle and abdominal pain, chills, redness in the eyes, jaundice, haemorrhages in skin and mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhoea and a rash.

Prevention
Keep a check on the rodent population in the area. Refrain from contact with infected animals or swimming in contaminated water and drink boiled water. Above all, prevent infection in the human host by vaccination.

Dengue
Symptoms
Headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands and rash. Other signs include bleeding gums, severe pain behind the eyes, red palms and soles.

Prevention
Control or eradication of mosquitoes carrying the virus. Empty stagnant water from old tires, trash cans and flower pots.
Staying indoors two hours after sunrise and before sunset will help. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a daytime biter with peak periods of biting around sunrise and sunset. It may bite at any time of the day and is often hidden inside homes or other dwellings, especially in urban areas.

Hoid
Symptoms
Common symptoms usually include a high temperature, (103-104°F), headache, severe body ache, stomach pain, loss of appetite, diarrhoea or a rash.

Prevention
Besides vaccines and immunisation, drink only boiled or bottled water and eat well-cooked food. Avoid eating from the roadside.

Jaundice
Symptoms
Yellow coloration of the eyes, skin, tongue and urine, loss of appetite, dull pain in the liver region, nausea, severe constipation, bitter taste in mouth, extreme weakness, fever, headache and undue fatigue.

Prevention
Rest till acute symptoms subside, include fruit juice in daily diet for few weeks and administer hot water enema daily.
Drink lots of water with lemon juice to protect damaged liver cells. Hot and cold compresses should be applied alternately to the abdomen. A hot immersion bath for 10 minutes at 104 degree Fahrenheit daily eliminates bile pigment through skin and kidneys.

Gastroenteritis
Symptoms
Diarrhoea and vomiting, which may be accompanied by headache, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Prevention
Frequent handwashing, prompt disinfection of contaminated surfaces with household chlorine bleach-based cleaners and prompt washing of soiled articles of clothing. Rotavirus gastroenteritis can also be prevented by vaccines.