The hot summer is upon us. Its the time of the year that slows us down because of extreme heat and then it also ends up in making some of us sick. If we want to continue our life at the same pace and avoid being sick, there are things which we can do to get the benefit of the weather.
Hot weather poses varied risks to the health and well being of people. These risks stem from the sun and the temperature associated with it. We will discuss few conditions associated with summer and will see how we can modify our risk and stay healthy during the summer time. The conditions include
- Sun burn
- Heat stroke
- Dehydration
- Viral illnesses
- Stomach issues
- Injuries
- Rabies
- Skin diseases
Coming under direct sunlight leads to either sunburn or other kind of skin diseases. These sunlight induced issues are more common to fair skin individuals, but can happen to any person.
Warm weather especially the scorching heat leads to dehydration by the mechanism of excessive sweat and water loss. Along with that excessive salt loss may lead to cramping which can be quite painful. In people the heat regulation mechanism may also be lost causing heat stroke or sum-stroke. Another group of common diseases in summer is viral illnesses. Their mode of spread is usually respiratory secretions and water borne due to contamination. The other thing that everyone is concerned about is stomach related issues. These are caused by contaminated supply of water or due to less than optimal personal hygiene. We drink plenty of fluids and in that process we use utensils or the water source that may be contaminated. This results in the issues of the stomach, from gastritis to food poisoning to complicated diarrhea. This is a common and disturbing finding all around the year but in the summer time it is especially bad because of the ease of becoming dehydrated.
Summer also brings plenty of outdoor activities and so exposes people to the injuries also. In the same token exposure to dog bile is more and so Rabies can also be one of the important aspects of issues we deal with.
Now looking at the ways to avoid these issues and stay healthy, we should get ourselves familiar with few concepts. The prime important is personal safety. This wholesome concept of safety can be the only difference that could make us stay healthy in the summer.
Safety from sun is through avoiding direct sunlight to our bodies and eyes. So proper dressing and staying under shades can lower the chances of sunburn and avoid heat stroke. Keeping the water balance will avoid heat stroke and dehydration. If we have to go outside for longer period of time then we need to make sure that we continue to drink plenty of fluids especially water.
Keeping our fluid balance is another important concept and will also make us fight with the viral illnesses better and so we would stay healthy. In this regard we should avoid contaminated sources of water. That’s the other safety aspect that would be necessary. The drinking water should be clean and safe and should not become the vehicle for spreading germs. When outside we should avoid doubtful sources of water like drinking tap water or drinking open juices from juice vendors on the street.
The clean water will help us to avoid most of the stomach issues and cases of gastroenteritis. Even if that happens in most cases it is self limiting and just keeping a good fluid balance can make people better. In these cases antibiotics should not be used unless advised by a physician after examining the patients. If appropriate measures are not taken, people may end up being dehydrated and may require intravenous fluids.
Utilizing other aspects of personal safety can guard us against injuries and also Rabies. It is utmost important to treat each dog bite appropriately in order to avoid Rabies.
Lastly I would like to emphasize upon hand washing. It is one of those things that ‘s the most easy to do and creates big impact on the spreading of germs and diseases. Each time when we use toilet, we should wash our hands thoroughly and preferably with soap and water. This single measure along with clean water supply can produce the largest protection against many diseases and conditions that are rampant in our society.
I hope that your summer is full of activities, and I wish for all of you to stay safe. Use precautions, clean water and safety measures with keeping your water balance.
I can be reached at ERDOC@shifa.com.pk.