The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : If summer comes, can diseases be far behind?

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Tuesday, Mar 10, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

If summer comes, can diseases be far behind?

R. Sujatha

— Photo: V. Ganesan

inviting trouble: Eating out in summer may not be a good idea, as food made in unhygienic conditions poses health risks.

CHENNAI: Keeping cool on a hot summer day requires some originality, planning and following time-tested regimen. The climate in coastal Chennai is much different from landlocked places and it is necessary to prepare oneself to enjoy the respite offered by the sea breeze.

High on the list is personal hygiene that would prevent infections and the ailments caused by them.

A common problem is the excessive sweat during the hot months. Though the sweat helps to cool down the body, it brings with it a host of problems. When sweat stays on in the body it will result in bacterial infection. It is advisable to take a shower twice a day at least. Paediatricians recommend that children below the age of five be given a bath twice a day.

It is best to avoid synthetics and go for pure cotton fabrics as synthetic material retains moisture causing discomfort.

Beginning April end, a large number of children being brought to hospitals come with complaints of painful boils and dehydration. The patients come with symptoms such as fever and boils. Using neem and turmeric paste instead of soap helps, as the antiseptic properties of these products prevent spread of infection. Soap could dry the skin causing more discomfort.

Diarrhoea is another common occurrence as people do not boil drinking water.

As the temperature soars, the body loses water which is termed by medical practitioners as ‘insensible water loss’. About 20-30 per cent of the water content in the body is lost due to dehydration. Most people choose to drink fruit juices, synthetic drinks but only water, buttermilk and tender coconut has the capacity to restore the water lost by the body, says paediatrician Saradha Suresh.

Though children seem resilient even after long hours in sun, they undergo mild dehydration.

The children will exhibit mild functional disturbances like avoiding food or disturbed sleep at night. While doctors recommend 3 per cent sugar concentrate in fruit juices, most juices and synthetic drinks contain twice the recommended amount of sugar.

As regular consumption of these drinks makes the child sick, it is better to go for mildly salted buttermilk, doctors say.

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