Vaccination Can Prevent Monsoon Maladies!

Every year the monsoon brings with it a whole spate of viral, bacterial, parasitic and infectious diseases that cause havoc in the cities and the local hospitals are crowded with patients that are a burden to them! The most common diseases that affect the population with the onset of the monsoons are malaria, viral influenza, typhoid, chicken pox, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, diarrhoea, dysentery etc …..! To add to all this the monsoon, these days, also causes flooding in the cities and low lying areas causing a sudden rise in the flood related water borne diseases like Shigellosis, Cholera, Hepatitis A, Leptospirosis, Typhoid Fever, Malaria and Dengue fever.

Vaccination is a highly effective method of preventing certain infectious diseases.
For the individual, and for society in terms of public health, prevention is better
and more cost-effective than cure. Vaccines are generally very safe and adverse
reactions are uncommon. A number of combined vaccines are now available, providing protection against more than one disease, and new combinations are likely to become available in future years. The common vaccines available range from the seasonal flu to typhoid, hepatitis A, B , chicken Pox and even pneumonia.

There are many ways one can prevent getting infected with water borne diseases. Simple steps like safe and clean drinking water, maintaining hygiene, eating healthy Vitamin C rich foods (fruits and vegetables), and cooking meat, chicken, fish etc. properly can prevent the more common diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, flu, gastritis and even hepatitis. Getting yourself vaccinated properly before the monsoon hits your city, can prevent other diseases like pneumonia, chicken pox, dengue fever, typhoid etc..! A vaccine to prevent malaria is still in its nascent stages, but the moment it is fully developed and ready to use, it could save millions of people from this much dreaded and painful disease.

To know more about water borne diseases, their prevention, treatment and vaccination here are some links providing more detailed information.

1. http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/977858513.html

2. http://www.medindia.net/patients/waterborne/introduction_print.htm

3. http://www.infoplease.com/cig/dangerous-diseases-epidemics/epidemic-dysentery.html

4. http://www.answers.com/topic/waterborne-diseases-1?cat=health

5. http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DISEASES/list_waterborne.htm

6. http://www.medindia.net/Patients/patientinfo/Leptospirosis_treatment.htm

7. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/V/Vaccines.html

8. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2007/107_vaccines.html