Common Summer Illnesses You Need to Avoid (Part 1)

Image Source:unsplash.imgix.net

Common Summer Illnesses You Need to Avoid (Part 1)

Barbecues in the yard and long walks on the beach are summer activities that everyone partakes in and loves. However, people do not just have good memories of summer, they have bad ones too, especially when they develop common summer illnesses in the midst of the fun they are having. So here’s a straightforward guide on the common summer illnesses and information on how you can prevent them.

• • • Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI) – These types of illnesses have doubled over the last two decades, so the risks of developing them are quite high. So what can you get from pools? Bacteria thatcan cause infections (e.g. gastrointestinal, ear, skin, respiratory, eye, and wound).As gross as it may be for you to hear, pools can be contaminated with feces and can increase the risk for diarrhea.

• Drowning – Drowning is one of the main causes of unintentional injury death in the United States, most of them occurring in boats and on beaches. Make sure you sign up for a swimming lesson this summer as 88 percent of people who drowned in boating accidents do not know how to swim and were not wearing life jackets. Drinking alcohol while swimming is also not a very good idea as it increases the risk of drowning.

• Shark Attacks – Shark attacks are definitely not common as your chances of getting bitten by a shark is 1 in 3.7 million and that is according to The National Safety Council. There were 47 shark attacks recorded in the US in 2013. Where and when do people usually  find sharks? Avoid sandbars, deep water, steep drop-offs, and do not swim during twilight.

• Food Poisoning – Every year there are one in six Americans who become victims of food poisoning, that is about 48 million individuals eating and appreciating food that apparently has bad bacterial flourishinginside. The worst part is 128,000 are rushed to the hospital and 3,000 of them succumb to death. It is a serious health problem that peaks during summer as foodborne bacterial thrive in warmer temperatures. So how do you avoid getting you and your family poisoned? Make sure you cook your meat properly and avoid cross-contamination of food. Leftovers that have been lying around for more than two hours should be thrown away.

Read about the rest of common summer illnesses in the second part of this blog post. For other health-related articles, visit http://www.freddabranyon.com/ today.