Monsoon: Hyderabad sees rise in seasonal ailments

The gradual onset of monsoons accompanied by a steady drop in temperatures in Hyderabad and districts has created ideal conditions for the rise in seasonal ailments

Hyderabad: The gradual onset of monsoon accompanied by a steady drop in temperatures in Hyderabad and districts has created ideal conditions for the rise in seasonal ailments. In the last few years, during the Covid pandemic, seasonal ailments were relatively under check, as people took extreme precautions including wearing masks outdoors and indoors.

However, with the Covid pandemic over and normalcy restored, public health officials in Hyderabad are anticipating a rise in seasonal ailments, especially water and vector-borne infections including dengue, malaria, seasonal flu, upper respiratory tract infections and influenza.

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Traditionally, Hyderabad and surrounding districts are endemic to seasonal flu in addition to water and vector-borne ailments like malaria, typhoid, cholera and diarrhoea. The urban centres especially areas under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC); Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts have traditionally reported a large number of cases of dengue in the months of August to October. Seasonal monsoons create ideal conditions for mosquito breeding leading to the rise of dengue and malaria.

Last year, during monsoons, the State public health department reported a major surge in dengue and typhoid cases in all the districts of Telangana. There was also a trend of a steady rise in other seasonal ailments including malaria, acute diarrhoeal diseases (ADDs) and viral fevers across all the districts.

Senior officials from the State Public Health Department have advised people especially individual families take precautions at the local level, which goes a long way in controlling seasonal ailments. In terms of preparedness, the district health officials are preparing ground to roll out the monsoon action plan in the coming weeks, featuring dedicated surveillance teams to track fresh infections and deployment of field level health care workers to extend necessary medical help and also spread awareness on the importance of taking precautions.

The vulnerable population including pregnant women, the elderly and children must be extra cautious, as their pre-existing medical conditions and compromised immunity have the potential to create a lot of health complications.