Health tips for monsoon: Avoid dengue or typhoid if you travel

Be it common cold, cough, malaria, dengue, chikungunya or typhoid, monsoon season means relief from the severe heat and arrival of diseases. While at home, you can still have things under control as you know the surroundings. But if you pack your bags and jet off to another destination for a family holiday, you need to follow some tips. That’s because a traveller without precautions and hygiene will catch any of the diseases common during monsoon.

To help you with health tips to follow while travelling during monsoon, HealthShots connected with Dr Manoj Sharma, Senior Consultant Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Health tips for monsoon

In a lot of places, schools are still closed for holidays, making it the perfect time for travelling with family. Monsoon has already arrived and it only adds to the beauty of a place. That’s unless you get stuck in a traffic for hours. Travelling with family increases your happiness and helps to relax. However, if you don’t pay attention to small details related to your and your family’s health, the holiday can just stress you out. Here’s what to do:

1. Drink clean water

Finding clean water during travel can be hard, especially if you are travelling by road or heading outside a city. Always go for bottled water that is packaged by a good brand. If you have no option, boil the water that is available to you before drinking it, suggests Dr Sharma.

2. Avoid junk food

Street and junk foods are all tempting, but you must avoid having those mouth-watering pakodas and burgers on the way to your holiday destination. Turns out, street food corners tend to be a source of many bacterial monsoon diseases.

3. Add a disinfectant to bath water

Carry a bottle of disinfectant that suits your skin and add it to a bucket of water that you will be using for bathing. Avoid the bathtub or make sure the hotel housekeeping staff cleans it properly.

4. Iron damp clothes

We carry limited clothes while travelling, so it is possible that they will get wet considering the season. So, if you have wet clothes, make sure to iron them before wearing. This way you won’t feel uneasy in wet clothes.

5. Buy and eat local but with caution

It is good to eat local produce, but make sure to wash them first. While travelling during monsoon, try not to eat anything that is raw or half-boiled as these may have germs or insects.

6. Follow hygiene

It’s true that Covid-19 has taught us to focus on hygiene. But don’t give this healthy habit and make hygiene a priority while staying in hotels, homestays or other properties. Make sure to change bedsheets every day and follow hand hygiene.

7. Enough sleep

Watching the sunrise and attending late-night parties might be part of your itinerary. These are fun, but Dr Sharma says that they disturb our sleep cycle. Try to sleep at least 7 to 9 hours every day whether you are home or on a holiday.

8. Maintain distance from sick people

If you see someone sneezing or coughing, maintain distance. It won’t take long for viruses and bacteria to spread from one person to another.

But if you or your family member does fall ill despite taking precautions, don’t buy over-the-counter pills. Travel with a small medical kit and know your and your family’s triggers of falling sick. So, make your and family’s monsoon travel a healthy and fun one.