Beware of infections during rainy season

With the monthlong rainy season having arrived this week, pay attention to your health, as the high humidity and temperature makes dangerous viruses more active.

“Atmospheric temperature and humidity provide an ideal condition for bacteria and viruses to grow in food and water,” an official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control said.

“The people should pay more attention to food they eat and the water they drink. Wash your hands as frequently as possible,” he added.

The most common illnesses during the monsoon season are water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases.

The list of major water-borne diseases includes bacillary dysentery, enterohemorrhagic E. coli and typhoid, which causes severe fever and diarrhea.

To prevent water-borne diseases, KCDC advised the public to constantly wash their hands and drink boiled water.

“Families with children and the elderly should boil drinking water for more than 30 minutes. It is also better to cook vegetables rather than eating them raw,” the state-run agency said.

Cutting boards and knives must be washed and dried after use, it added.

Mosquito-borne diseases are also a risk, as blood-sucking insects are the main carrier of Japanese encephalitis and malaria.

The best way to avoid mosquito bites is to avoid outdoor activities in the evening between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. when the insects become active. The KCDC advised those camping or living near livestock farms to apply insect repellent.

Eye infections also spread fast during the rainy season.

Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, also known as Apollo eye disease, is a major eye infection which causes eye inflammation, sometimes accompanied by bleeding into the outside lining of the eye. In the beginning, patients tend to rub their eyes with their hands and shed tears. They should keep away from their families and friends because the virus is highly contagious, KCDC officials said. 

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)

Tips to stay healthy during rainy season:

1. Wash your hands frequently

2. Cook food long enough to eliminate air-borne and water-borne bacteria and eat it at once

3. People who suffer from diarrhea or have open scars on their hands shouldn’t cook

4. Keep away from mosquitoes: make your environment hostile for mosquito breeding by clearing stagnant water around your house.

5. If you suffer from fever, diarrhea or swollen skin, visit local clinics for consultation

(Source: Korea Centers for Disease Control)