10 Diseases During the Wet Season You Need to Watch Out For

Often making headlines during widespread flooding, leptospirosis is a bacterial infection spread through contact with water or soil contaminated with the urine of infected animals, particularly rats. If you’re planning any outside activities during the rainy days, wading through floodwaters with open wounds or even bare skin puts you at risk of this disease. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Severe cases can affect the kidneys and liver, requiring prolonged and costly hospital stays and treatment. Avoiding contact with floodwater is paramount to prevent this dangerous health problem, especially if you have open wounds.

This bacterial infection is transmitted through contaminated food and water. During the rainy season, flooding can compromise sanitation systems, increasing the risk of contamination of water sources. Symptoms include sustained high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, and loss of appetite. Typhoid requires antibiotic treatment, and severe cases can lead to complications requiring hospitalization and intensive medical intervention.

Another waterborne bacterial disease, cholera causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Like typhoid, its spread is often linked to poor sanitation and contaminated water sources, issues that are exacerbated by heavy rains and flooding. The rapid onset of severe dehydration makes prompt medical attention crucial. Treatment involves rehydration and antibiotics, and hospitalization is often necessary.

This viral liver infection is also typically spread through contaminated food and water or through close contact with an infected person. Compromised sanitation systems during the wet season increase the likelihood of exposure to this disease. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, and jaundice. While often mild, severe cases can require medical management.

While not as widespread as dengue in all parts of the Philippines, malaria remains a significant concern, especially in rural and forested areas. This parasitic disease is transmitted through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, which tend to bite from dusk till dawn and breed in standing water that can become more prevalent during the rainy season. Symptoms often include recurring cycles of fever, chills, headache, and flu-like illness.

Malaria can quickly become severe, leading to organ failure and even death if not promptly diagnosed and treated. Diagnosis requires blood tests, and treatment involves specific antimalarial drugs, which can be expensive. Severe cases require hospitalization and intensive care, highlighting why it’s a crucial health problem in the rainy season to be aware of, particularly for those living in or traveling to endemic areas.  

While present year-round, the incidence of colds and influenza often rises during the rainy season. Colder temperatures and increased time spent indoors near others facilitate the spread of respiratory viruses. Symptoms include cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever, and body aches. While often manageable at home, severe cases, especially in vulnerable populations like children and the elderly, can lead to complications like pneumonia, requiring doctor's visits, medication, and potentially hospitalization.

This serious lung infection can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi, and is often a complication of the common cold or flu, particularly during the rainy season when respiratory illnesses are more prevalent. Symptoms include cough with phlegm, fever, difficulty breathing, and chest pain. Pneumonia can be life-threatening and often requires hospitalization, oxygen therapy, and strong antibiotics, resulting in significant medical expenses. It is a severe example of the common diseases during the rainy season that require financial preparedness.

The increased humidity and prolonged exposure to wet conditions during the rainy season can make skin more susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections. Conditions like athlete’s foot, ringworm, and bacterial skin infections are more common. While often treatable with topical creams, severe or untreated infections can spread or lead to complications requiring oral medications or even hospitalization in rare cases.

Often referred to as "stomach flu," gastroenteritis is characterized by inflammation of the stomach and intestines, leading to diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. It is frequently caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites spread through contaminated food and water, which, as mentioned, are higher risks during the rainy season. While many cases resolve on their own with rest and rehydration, severe dehydration can require intravenous fluids and hospitalization, particularly in young children and the elderly, making it a potentially costly health problem in the rainy season.

The rainy season brings about a myriad of illnesses; that’s why we need to be prepared.

While preventative measures like practicing good hygiene, avoiding contaminated areas, and taking precautions against mosquito bites are essential in reducing your risk of these common diseases during the rainy season, sometimes getting sick is unavoidable. This is where being financially prepared becomes just as crucial as being medically prepared.

Having a plan to address unexpected medical expenses can provide peace of mind during a stressful time. While staying indoors is a great way to stay safe and dry, it’s also a good time to think about how you would handle a health crisis. Allianz PNB Life can help with that. A  10-year life insurance plan from Allianz PNB Life gives you protection that lasts through life’s unpredictable seasons. It’s designed to support your family, cover medical costs, and help you stay financially steady no matter what the weather brings.

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