Infections possible even if you don't get drenched

Monsoon is the season for infections. Even though you are not getting wet in the rain, still you can get infected. Virus not only affects with changes in body temperatures but also with decrease in immunity. Fungal infections are prone to affect the skin, nails and legs. Getting wet in the rain has direct consequences of catching viral cold and cough commonly known as flu.

Even under the umbrellas, if you walk in the rainwater which gets mixed with mud and dirt, the chances for fungal and local skin infections doubles. Exposure of your legs puts its skin and nails to fungal infections and allergies. Sewage water also gets mixed with the rainwater leading to complicated conditions like Leptostirosis which is a very serious disease involving the infections of liver and kidney and can be fatal if left untreated.

Rainwater may be mixed with mud or sewage water becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, which can lead to water-borne diseases like Cholera, Typhoid Hepatitis and diarrhea. Malaria, Dengue and haemhorragic fever are among the vector-borne diseases. For asthamatic people, the frequency of attack may increase with the sudden drop in temperatures. Infections have a direct relation with the body's immune system.

The weaker the immune system the higher the chances of infections. A healthy immune system helps to maintain the tissues and heal wounds by killing the invader cells. Production of antibodies to fight infections is one of its main functions. Monsoon can tend to hamper the immunity making us prone to cold, flu and many other diseases and infections.

Though rare, brucellosis is another type of infection which is more common among animals but can affect humans too. Usually a human is infected when he consumes the animal milk in unpasteurised form but during rainy seasons, the animal excreta mixes with the rainy water and when inhaled or injected into the human body (though involuntarily) infections can happen to affect the liver.

Rats and mice are known to contaminate the water during rainy seasons with their urine. And when a person comes in contact with the contaminated water even a small cut or a scar is enough for the contaminated water to enter the body to cause serious liver infections. All the immune system cells function well only with adequate supply of Vitamin C and in case of deficiency the ability of the cells to detect, track and kill the infectious cells decreases making the body susceptible to infections.

Vitamin C is known to be the best source to boost immunity. Human body does not synthesize Vitamin C and hence is gained from external sources only. Being water-soluble, it is excreted from the body and hence daily doses are necessary for the protection of the body from infections especially during monsoons.

It is advisable to consume at least 500mg of Vitamin C on a daily basis as it helps in improving the immunity, reducing the severity and duration of common cold, flu and infections. But remember to restrict the intake to not cross more than 1000 mg as excess in anything can lead to side-effects. (Writer is HOD, Internal Medicine, Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi)