5 Causes Of Fever During Monsoons
5 Causes Of Fever During Monsoons And Tests To Diagnose Them
The monsoon season refreshes us from the sizzling heat of summers. But this change in weather makes a perfect environment for the growth of bacteria and viruses. The rains also cause puddles everywhere which are ideal for mosquito breeding. Fever is a very common occurrence during this season. Some of the fevers are easily treated while others can be life threatening.
1 . MALARIA
One of the most common monsoon related disease, malaria, is caused by bite of female Anopheles mosquito which breeds in stagnant water.
Type of fever
This fever is usually associated with bouts of shivering, chills, body aches and sweating. The symptoms usually appear in cycles due to the life cycle of malarial parasite as they develop and reproduce in the human body.
Tests
The tests recommended by WHO for malarial fever are malarial parasite detection by microscopy and rapid antigen detection test. These tests should ideally be done before the anti malarial treatment is started.
2 . TYPHOID
It is a water born disease common during the monsoon season. It is transmitted by consuming contaminated food and water.
Type of fever
The fever pattern is step wise which rises over the course of each day and drops by subsequent morning. Fever cab be associated with diarrhea, abdominal pain and headaches.
Tests
The gold standard test for typhoid fever is blood culture. Rapid Typhi IgM and Widal are the other commonly done tests.
3 . DENGUE
Dengue is a viral infection caused by the bite of female Aedes Aegypti mosquito. There are four serotypes of dengue virus.
Type of fever
sudden high grade fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pains (hence the name ” break bone fever”) long with a skin rash.
Tests
The various tests which should be done for suspected dengue fever are: complete blood count along with platelets. The platelet count starts dropping once the fever drops down. Therefore, regular monitoring of the platelets is necessary. NS1 dengue antigen detection, and Dengue IgM are other routinely done tests.
4 . CHIKUNGUNYA
It is transmitted by bite of infected Aedes Albopictus mosquitoe. This mosquito bites during bright daylight.
Type of fever
The fever is associated with multiple features like rashes, nausea, vomiting and joint pains.
Tests
Virus isolation is most definitive test although it takes one to two weeks for completion. Chikungunya IgM test can also be done.
5 . HEPATITIS A
Caused by Hepatitis A virus, this disease is transmitted through consumption of contaminated food and water.
Type of fever
The symptoms include low grade fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
Tests
Diagnosis is made by blood tests that detect viral antigen and Hepatitis A IgM antibodies.
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The monsoon season refreshes us from the sizzling heat of summers. But this change in weather makes a perfect environment for the growth of bacteria and viruses. The rains also cause puddles everywhere which are ideal for mosquito breeding. Fever is a very common occurrence during this season. Some of the fevers are easily treated while others can be life threatening.
1 . MALARIA
One of the most common monsoon related disease, malaria, is caused by bite of female Anopheles mosquito which breeds in stagnant water.
Type of fever
This fever is usually associated with bouts of shivering, chills, body aches and sweating. The symptoms usually appear in cycles due to the life cycle of malarial parasite as they develop and reproduce in the human body.
Tests
The tests recommended by WHO for malarial fever are malarial parasite detection by microscopy and rapid antigen detection test. These tests should ideally be done before the anti malarial treatment is started.
2 . TYPHOID
It is a water born disease common during the monsoon season. It is transmitted by consuming contaminated food and water.
Type of fever
The fever pattern is step wise which rises over the course of each day and drops by subsequent morning. Fever cab be associated with diarrhea, abdominal pain and headaches.
Tests
The gold standard test for typhoid fever is blood culture. Rapid Typhi IgM and Widal are the other commonly done tests.
3 . DENGUE
Dengue is a viral infection caused by the bite of female Aedes Aegypti mosquito. There are four serotypes of dengue virus.
Type of fever
sudden high grade fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pains (hence the name ” break bone fever”) long with a skin rash.
Tests
The various tests which should be done for suspected dengue fever are: complete blood count along with platelets. The platelet count starts dropping once the fever drops down. Therefore, regular monitoring of the platelets is necessary. NS1 dengue antigen detection, and Dengue IgM are other routinely done tests.
4 . CHIKUNGUNYA
It is transmitted by bite of infected Aedes Albopictus mosquitoe. This mosquito bites during bright daylight.
Type of fever
The fever is associated with multiple features like rashes, nausea, vomiting and joint pains.
Tests
Virus isolation is most definitive test although it takes one to two weeks for completion. Chikungunya IgM test can also be done.
5 . HEPATITIS A
Caused by Hepatitis A virus, this disease is transmitted through consumption of contaminated food and water.
Type of fever
The symptoms include low grade fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
Tests
Diagnosis is made by blood tests that detect viral antigen and Hepatitis A IgM antibodies.
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Pritam Sharma ji, Thank you very much for a very good and crisp wrteup on "5 Causes Of Fever During Monsoons". This general knowledge on causes of fevers during rainy season will be useful useful to all as a firsthand information to get alerted for further diagnosis and treatment. more
Aug 17
Thank you for spreading the general knowledge that is useful to everyone. Lions Clubs are also spreading knowledge on how to treat self at home without medicines as far as possible. Please watch our videos. www.artofselfhealing.in, more
Aug 16
