Beware! Contagious diseases that come with the rain

Other than the refreshing and cooling wetness that comes with the rain after the scorching heat of a summer, the rainy season also brings many problems for us to deal with such as flood, horrific traffic jams, terrible accidents on the streets, and another thing that we should be very careful with is the contagious diseases which are easily and widely spread during the rainy season.

 
These are the dangerous contagious diseases to be aware of;

1. Common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract found are acute diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, food poisoning. These diseases are caused by bacteria and microorganisms contaminating in our food.

2. Infectious diseases through mucous membranes of the skin, such as leptospirosis which a patient has acute high fever, headache, severe muscle ache around the legs, red eye, and 5 – 10% of the patients may be jaundice, suffer kidney failure and even go into shock. This disease usually occurs where there are a lot of rats, flooded areas and farm areas.

3. Common respiratory diseases such as colds, influenza, throat infection, bronchitis or pneumonia. The recent epidemic is an outbreak of new influenza A type H1N1.
 
4. Conjunctivitis or eye infection which is caused by a virus that maybe transmitted from being exposed to other patients with the virus through their coughing and sneezing or shared space and objects used.

5. Infectious diseases caused by mosquitos, especially during the rainy season when there are a lot more mosquitos than other periods therefore increasing the risk of infectious diseases caused by mosquitoes such as;

1) Dengue fever, Aedes  mosquito is a carrier.

2) JE encephalitis, Culex Tritaeniorrhynchus mosquitos is a carrier.

3) Malaria, Anopheles mosquito is a carrier.

 

We should protect ourselves from mosquitoes, eliminate mosquito breeding areas, use mosquito repellent or spray around the house.

Reference:  www.si.mahidol.ac.th by Assistant Professor Dr. Methee Chaiyakulkiri