How To Stay Fit And Healthy In The Rainy Season?

We all love the rainy season, don't we? This is the season which brings in the much needed respite from the scorching heat of summer season, especially in the Northern plains of our country. Who doesn't relish drenching in the heavy rain showers during the amazing rainy season? But, in the recent times, the high extent of atmospheric pollution has somewhat diluted the refreshing experience of the cool rain showers. And sometimes, we ignore the health precautions for rainy season and end up courting many infections. The worst thing about these infections is that they mostly affect the skin and the eyes, the most sensitive organs of the body, and are thus quite irritating.

The harmful pollutants released by automobile and industrial emissions rise up in the atmosphere. When it rains, these pollutants comprising of harmful particles get dissolved in the heavier water droplets and the eater droplets bring them down. Thus the rain washes down the pollutants on to the land surface. This phenomenon can be called Acid rain, if the rain droplets contain highly elevated levels of acidic content caused by the reaction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides with the water molecules of rain. Although acid rains don't have any direct adverse effects on human health, but many other pollutants when get dissolved in rain drops may prove to be quite harmful for some of the human organs and processes.

Well, in our day to day hectic urban lifestyles, it is very difficult for us to get drenched in rain, but the important thing to be kept in mind is that we should shield ourselves from the array of diseases in rainy season.

The most common health problems experienced in the rainy season

• Common cold- Frequent sneezing, sore throat, coughing and sometimes a mild fever with headaches are some of the symptoms of common cold in the rainy season. Common cold in rainy season occurs due to prolonged exposure to the rains.


• Diarrhea and Typhoid- Diarrhea is a common issue in the rainy season and occurs due to the intake of unclean water and food. Typhoid is another serious health issue of the rainy season which occurs due to ingestion of water and food infected with the typhoid bacteria. These diseases mostly occur in the rainy season due to consumption of unclean material from roadside food stalls. Roadside food vendors rarely follow hygienic procedures in selling eatables to their customers. So, open or unpacked water food items from roadside vendors or sub-standard eating places are a big cause of issues like Diarrhea and Typhoid Fever in the rainy season.


• Mosquito-borne diseases in rainy season- The ill-handled rain water when gets collected for a long times is a breeding place for mosquitoes which in turn fatally bite humans to infect them with dangerous diseases like Malaria, Dengue, Filaria, Japanese Encephalitis and Kala-azar.


• Skin ailments- The washed down harmful pollutants may trigger some specific allergic reactions in many of us. Even is we are not allergic to any specific, some specific pollutions may trigger skin diseases in rainy season in any of us. The excess humidity and infectious environment can trigger many skin infections in this season.


• Eye Infections- Eye infections in rainy season, especially Conjunctivitis, are quite common. Conjunctivitis is a very common infection and is quite irritating too. The affected eye may become red, prone to irritation, can have blurred vision, may itch or pain a lot. This condition can persist in the affected eye from 3 days to even a week.


• Respiratory issues- The pollutants and harmful particles brought down on the land by the rains, after rains, may be carried with air into the respiratory systems of humans. These particles may be quite harmful for the lungs and may trigger Bronchitis and other respiratory issues.




Precautions and suggestions to avoid health problems in the rainy season



• The best way to avoid health issues in rainy season is to avoid stepping out unnecessarily out of indoor spaces and getting exposed to the rain outside. Even if you get drenched in rain water, try to bathe with anti-fungal soap as soon as you reach your home. Also make sure that you never wear wet clothes in rainy season


• Never get drenched in the first few showers of the onset of monsoon in India. These are the showers bringing down maximum amount of washed down pollutants and harmful particles.


• Specifically wash hidden and folded parts of exterior dermal body like the armpits and inner thighs while bathing. These parts are warm and moist due to sweat and therefore are suitable breeding grounds for skin infections.


• Prefer cotton clothing in the rainy season to keep the skin cool, dry and fresh.


• Wash your eyes with cold water at least three to four times a day. Doing so will get your eyes rid of any potential infectious particles. This will also keep dirt and dust at bay from your eyes and will keep your eyes moistened, thereby preventing any irritations.


• Try to boost your immunity by consuming as much as green leafy vegetables as possible. Vitamin C intake should be especially taken care of, in this season to boost the immune system.


• Never allow water to stand in any part of your house or in your society. If removing standing water from somewhere is not feasible put kerosene in that water. Scrap containers and tires should better be disposed or sold at scrap dealers. Air Coolers must be cleaned periodically.


• Avoid the intake of water and food from roadside stands. Cut fruit salads should specifically be avoided. Roadside food vendors that operate in open must never be considered for any kind of open or unpackaged food. Even your roadside Punjabi dhabas operate in unhygienic conditions, most of the times, and so must be avoided in the rainy season


• Always try to drink water from purified sources. Installing purifiers working on the principle of RO, UV purification, Activated carbon purification will be a good step. But if installing such purifiers is not feasible, always drink boiled and filtered water.