Monsoon maladies are here to take fun away from rains

The rains are here. And it's just a matter of time before clinics and hospitals see a spurt in the cases of water-borne diseases such as gastroenteritis, jaundice, typhoid, etc, as chances of water contamination are higher during this season.

The rains are here. And it's just a matter of time before clinics and hospitals see a spurt in the cases of water-borne diseases such as gastroenteritis, jaundice, typhoid, etc, as chances of water contamination are higher during this season.

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"Most of these diseases spread through the feco-oral route, hence, one needs to be careful with the quality of drinking water and maintaining proper hygiene," said a senior gastroenterologist at AIIMS.

People, especially children and elderly who have weaker immunity, must be careful about drinking water and hygiene.

"One should avoid eating and drinking at the road-side eateries and discard leftovers at home," said Dr Dinesh Singal, senior consultant, department of gastroenterology, Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute.

This climate is also conducive for breeding of mosquitoes, which cause fatal vector-borne infections such as dengue and malaria. The city, this year, has seen a three-fold jump in the cases of malaria as compared to same period last year.

The best way to prevent such diseases is to not let water collect in and around your house and protect yourself from mosquito bites by using mosquito repellants and wearing full-sleeves shirts.