In winter, cold weather changes could lead to the spread of infectious diseases and cause problems with the immune system leading to illness and infection...
In winter, cold weather changes could lead to the spread of infectious diseases and cause problems with the immune system leading to illness and infection, especially for children.
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| Keep warm especially when staying outside. |
One of the most common diseases in cold weather is flu. Influenza or flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses in winter. It can cause mild to severe illness. Influenza is transmitted through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus.
Climate change would broaden the range of many diseases. Statistics released by the Department of Health in the 10 months of 2009 showed 20,348 flu cases have been reported in Khanh Hoa Province. Precaution should be taken to prevent infection with A/H1N1 as cold weather facilitates the spread of the epidemic.
Dengue is one of the common diseass which usually occur in winter. Dengue is found primarily in urban settings in the tropics, especially in rainy seasons. Dengue fever can be life-threatening. Dengue is prevalent from winter to early spring. The number of dengue cases often hike during this period. 1,861 dengue cases have been reported in Khanh Hoa Province, down by 484 cases compared with the same period last year. However, according to Doctor Le Tan Phung, Khanh Hoa Health Department, dengue is highly contagious, so precautionary measures should be taken.
In addition, diarrhea is included in the list of the most common infectious diseases in cold weather. Severe diarrhea leads to fluid loss, and may be life threatening, particularly for children. It is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal infection, caused by a variety of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms. Infection is spread through contaminated food or drinking water, or from person to person because of poor hygiene.
Dr. Phan The Long, Deputy Head of Faculty of Infectious Diseases of Khanh Hoa General Hospital said, “The most effective prevention of diseases in winter is to keep warm and use boiled water. Keep your house clean and use preventive medicines (especially cloramine B) to disinfect the affected areas. Keep yourself warm, especially when staying outside and going to bed.”
Flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. Pandemic H1N1 is typically contracted by person to person transmission through respiratory droplets. It is recommended that those with symptoms stay away from crowded places. Use of face masks or respirators is also recommended in public places such as schools, workplaces, etc as they may benefit people in close contact with infected persons.
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