Rainy days are here and keeping your feet clean and dry especially during the floods are a must! Protect yourself from skin disease and more serious conditions like Leptospirosis with tips from the Philippine Dermatological Society:
Keep dry everyone!
1. Wear waterproof footwear when you have to wade in the floods. High cut boots are a good choice but make sure dirty water does not seep into them. Be sure to soap, rinse and dry dirty footwear thoroughly before wearing them again. Do the same to your feet.
2. Bring an extra pair of dry footwear and socks in a waterproof bag. After washing soaked skin with an antibacterial soap and thoroughly drying your feet, specially between the toes, change into dry footwear.
3. Do not brave the floodwaters if you have open wounds, existing skin infections or eczema, or have conditions which impair sensation in the limbs ( such as diabetes, leprosy, or stroke).
4. Cuts, puncture wounds or lacerations require immediate medical attention. Anti-tetanus prophylaxis and antibiotic therapy are also usually required.
5. Avoid obviously dirty areas that probably contain hidden hazards which may cause injury. Aside from skin injury, the rainy days may bring serious, life-threatening infections such as the rat-borne leptospirosis and mosquito-borne dengue fever.
6. Dispose of your garbage and (human) wastes properly. As the slogan goes … “ ang basurang tinapon mo … babalik din sa iyo…”
7. Examine your feet well. If after having been exposed, you develop wounds or lesions which become red, swollen and painful, more importantly those accompanied by fever or swollen lymph nodes (kulani), please seek immediate medical attention. A duly-accredited dermatologist will be able to help you with such a problem. Always remember that a serious disabling infection can result from exposure to polluted floodwaters if not treated promptly.
From: http://www.pds.org.ph/rainy-days-skin-blues/
