With alternating heatwaves and heavy rain, the unpredictable weather continued, and suddenly, a cool breeze started to blow. Autumn, the season of “clear skies and fat horses,” is fast approaching. Autumn is an excellent time for outdoor activities, but the significant temperature difference between day and night and the potential decrease in immunity require extra attention to health management. So, what diseases can occur in the fall? From Scrub typhus to Leptospira, let’s learn about the diseases we must be cautious of in the fall.
Scrub typhus
Scrub typhus occurs when trombiculid mites bite a person. After an incubation period of about 6 to 21 days, symptoms such as fever, chills, headaches, conjunctival congestion, and lymph node swelling appear. Dark and reddish, flat or raised rash appears on the body and limbs with fever, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can also occur. Especially until November, when the number of the mites increases, careful attention is needed.
Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis
According to statistics, the number of conjunctivitis patients in autumn (September to October) is more than 100,000 higher than in summer (June to August). Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is a typical conjunctivitis caused by an adenovirus infection in the conjunctiva that surrounds the outside of the eye. Especially in the fall, the number of outdoor activities such as picnics, leaf peeping, and sports days increases, and if you don’t wash your hands and touch your eyes after going outside, the probability of getting infected with the virus is high.
Rotavirus Gastroenteritis
Surprisingly, viral gastroenteritis also spreads in the fall. Rotavirus gastroenteritis has the most severe symptoms, with vomiting and fever appearing after a 1- to 3-day incubation period and severe watery diarrhea for 3- 8 days. Compared to other gastroenteritis, the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea are severe. If diarrhea is severe, blood pressure can drop due to dehydration, leading to a shock state, so caution is needed. Most viral gastroenteritis is transmitted by viruses in the stool entering the mouth, so washing hands frequently is the best prevention method.
Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry eye syndrome occurs easily in the fall when the air is dry, and ultraviolet rays are strong. If dry eye syndrome worsens, vision can deteriorate, leading to keratitis or conjunctivitis, so regular management is necessary. To prevent dry eye syndrome, consciously rest for a while when looking at a screen for a long time and then resume work. Neglecting ventilation in a closed space or wearing soft contact lenses for an extended period is also not good.
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and vesicular rashes on the hands and feet. The virus exists in infected people’s feces or saliva, sputum, nasal secretions, etc., and is transmitted through them. Blisters can appear on the tongue, cheek mucosa, posterior pharynx, palate, gums, and lips in the mouth, and rashes are more common on the hands than on the feet.
Allergic Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is a congested nasal disease with symptoms such as clear nasal discharge, congestion, and itching. It shows a hypersensitive reaction to specific substances; most patients occur in the fall. Allergic rhinitis can be caused by dust mites, pet fur, mold, insects, pollen, cigarette smoke, indoor pollutants, etc., so cleaning and maintaining cleanliness is necessary.
Brain Disorders
During the transitional season, when the weather gets cold, and the wind gets chilly, blood vessels contract, making it easy for blood pressure to rise. Moreover, suppose you have diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, etc.. In that case, the risk of cerebrovascular diseases such as cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and myocardial infarction can increase due to blocked or ruptured blood vessels, so you need to be careful. Refraining from exercising early in the morning or evening would be best.
Acute Pharyngitis
Acute pharyngitis is inflammation in the throat and tonsils through which air and food pass, with over 85% caused by viruses. Sometimes, it can also occur due to bacterial infections, mainly accompanied by overwork, febrile diseases, sudden temperature changes, weak constitution, and diseases that trigger a decrease in immunity. Initially, symptoms such as runny nose and nasal congestion appear. Then fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, etc., appear, and after about a day, the throat starts to hurt, showing the most severe symptoms on the 2nd to 3rd day.
Leptospirosis
Leptospirosis mainly spreads through the urine of livestock or wild animals. The causative bacterium, Leptospira, is excreted in the urine of carrier animals due to chronic infection, contaminating soil, groundwater, streams, paddy fields, rivers, etc., and infects when it comes into direct contact or contacts contaminated water. The incubation period of symptoms is about 7 to 12 days, and sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, severe muscle pain, and conjunctival congestion are common symptoms.
Epidemic Hemorrhagic Fever
Epidemic Hemorrhagic Fever is a disease that occurs in late fall and is transmitted through the respiratory tract by a virus that causes it when rat feces dry out. The incubation period averages about two to three weeks, and the disease is acute, with symptoms including fever, bleeding tendencies, back pain, and kidney failure. People frequently exposed to contaminated environments or at high risk of infection should be vaccinated promptly.
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