Monsoons are in full swing and some parts of our country have already been hit by floods that claimed a dozen lives. While rains are an essential phenomenon, they aren’t always the harbinger of good news. Monsoons often cause outbreaks of viral infections and other water-borne diseases and thus affecting everyone’s daily lives.
If you’re in a city that receives ample rainfall, here are some tips to stay safe.
1. Clean Water
Like in most cases, the maximum pollution happens to water during monsoons. All reservoirs tend to see an increased number of pathogens, which then trickles down to common people. To be safe from such water-borne diseases, always make sure that you consumed only boiled or treated water.
Never consume water directly from taps or freshwater reservoirs. If you have young kids at home, always give them warm, boiled water infused with herbs, if possible. Try to expose yourself as little as possible to polluted water sources like drains, puddles in mushy areas and even direct rainfall as much as you can. Fungal infections spread like wildfire from contaminated water and it could be your worst nightmare.
2. Outside Food
This is best avoided during monsoons, especially food sold in roadside stalls. While the vendors may not intentionally contaminate the food, the ingredients themselves might not be handled in hygienic ways and simple overstep could cause a deadly disease.
As much as possible, cook food at home and prepare your meals ahead of time to avoid having to eat out. Snacks like Pani puri, chaat, and other semi-cooked preparations are to be strictly avoided.
3. Take Supplements
Unless you are very sure that your regular diet has all your nutritional needs covered, it is best to take vitamin, calcium and similar nutrient supplements to keep your body strong enough to fight off pathogens. Immunity boosters are a good idea too. Vitamin C, for eg, is great at enhancing your immunity. Make sure that you check with your physician before taking any medication.
If you are not a fan of taking supplements, modify your diet to increase your immunity. This would include consuming lots of green leafy vegetables, clean drinking water, citrus fruits, calcium-rich products like milk and dairy and lean proteins.
4. Avoid Travelling To Flood-Prone Regions
This is a no brainer and should not have to be explicitly mentioned. But just in case you had a trip planned ahead to a location that is likely to be hit by floods, cancel it. You may not get stranded or affected by floods per se, but you might expose yourself to contamination and other diseases which will take a serious toll on your health.
5. Keep Insects & Pests Away
Insect repellants are your new best friends. You can use chemical ones, natural ones or homemade ones – that’s totally up to you, but make sure that you use one. Mosquitoes, roaches and other kinds of insects find the monsoons an ideal time to go around spreading infections. This is yet another reason why you should stick to homecooked meals, boiled water, and a thorough cleaning regime.
If you see any stagnant water around your home – an open vessel, a small puddle, whatever it could be, make sure that you clear it right away. Keep your kids indoors as much as possible and make sure they wear clothing that covers them well. Exposed arms and legs are vulnerable to insect bites, exposure to dirty water and moisture which could be bad news.
Stay Dry, Stay Safe
The monsoons haven’t been kind this year. It has already claimed a dozen lives with landslides and floods and the meteorological department has already predicted that heavier rains are on their way. Avoid going out while it is raining, keep yourself dry, shower only in hot water to keep yourself warm. Drink herbal teas to keep your body temperature warm. Kids need special attention as their immunity might not be fully developed.
While the rains are something that poets rave about and movies glamorize, we still have to remember to be practical. Rains bring enjoyment only if they don’t make us fall sick. So brew some coffee, prepare and not order some snacks, curl up with a book and watch the rains from a window. This would probably be the safest way to enjoy the rain :).
Team Guarented hopes you have a safe and healthy monsoon this year. And while you do, please keep the flood-affected families and places in your thoughts. Any bit of help you can do counts much. Cheers!