Spend Monsoon Without the Medicine: Smart Expert Tips To Avoid The Flu In The Rainy Season

 

 

Monsoon in India is a bit like dating someone really attractive but high-maintenance. It looks amazing on Instagram (green fields, cool breeze, chai with pakoras) but does it come with drama! Power cuts, potholes, delayed trains, and if that wasn’t enough, the flu, the uninvited guest who arrives just when you think your life is getting cozy with the rain. But unlike heartbreak or traffic, this one is totally preventable. You just need a little monsoon game plan. Monsoon: The Season of Romance… and Respiratory Infections While you’re sipping chai and binge-watching K-dramas, the flu virus is also planning its attack thanks to humidity, stagnant water, and crowded places.

 

According to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), cases of influenza-like illness spike by 40% during the rainy season. That’s not a small number. No amount of biceps will save you if a flu virus knocks you down for a week. Dr. Mayanka Lodha Seth, Chief Pathologist at Redcliffe Labs, says, “Eat foods rich in Vitamin C (amla, lemon), zinc (pumpkin seeds, legumes), and probiotics (curd, buttermilk).” She recommends 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Not doomscrolling on your phone till 2 a.m., but real, deep sleep. “Do some form of exercise: walk, yoga, dance, even playing with your dog counts. Please, drink 2-3 litres of water daily. Not cola, not beer—just good old pani,” she adds.

 

Flu spreads faster than college gossip. One handshake, one sneeze in the metro, one borrowed umbrella from that always-sick coworker and bam! You’re down. The WHO and ICMR are practically screaming from rooftops: wash your hands, wear a mask in crowded places, don’t share towels, and follow cough etiquette. That means no sneezing into open air like you’re doing a dandiya move. Cover up. Disinfect surfaces. Keep rooms well ventilated.

 

 

Fever, body aches, fatigue are not things to ignore, especially in monsoon. Don’t pop a paracetamol and hope it’ll go away. It might be viral fever, but it could also be malaria, dengue, typhoid, or even leptospirosis. And if that last word sounds unfamiliar, just know it’s the kind of disease you really don’t want to mess with. Here’s where fever panel testing comes in. Sounds technical, but it’s just a way of finding out what’s actually wrong so that doctors can treat it properly and fast. According to WHO, 1 in 4 cases of viral fever in tropical countries are misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed because the symptoms all look the same. Don’t guess. Don’t Google. Get tested. Catch the bug before it catches you.

 

 

Think of flu prevention like preparing for your board exams. No one wants to do it. It feels boring, unnecessary, and you’d rather just “see how it goes.” But when the real thing hits (when your whole building is sneezing, your office becomes a virus hotspot, and you’re running a 102°F fever), you’ll wish you had taken some notes. Monsoon is beautiful. Don’t let a flu bug ruin the romance. Stay sharp, stay safe, and eat that amla!