Yucatan Health authorities alert the population to extreme precautions in order to avoid an outbreak of conjunctivitis, which risk increases during the hot season, mainly among children under five and people older than 65, as these are the most susceptible to contracting this condition.
Heavy tearing, irritation, stinging, and itching in the eyes, itching inside and on the edges, intolerance to light, red coloration in the eyeball and serous, fibrinous or purulent discharge, are some of the symptoms of this condition. Therefore, the Health Services of Yucatan (SSY) recommends to immediately go to a medical center to receive specialized care before resorting to home remedies.
Faced with this situation, you should take preventive and control measures when suspecting having been infected with conjunctivitis, a professional should be consulted and you will have to take medication. It is appropriate to go to the nearest medical units or health centers as soon as the first symptoms appear.
If confirmed, isolation techniques are the key to stop an outbreak, such as avoiding patient assistance to multitudinous event or places with a large influx of people such as cinema theatres, churches, swimming pools, spas, schools, nurseries or auditoriums.
The treatment prescribed by the doctor will depend on the type of conjunctivitis; however, in addition to the medications you can use drops or ointments, as well as antiallergic treatment if required. Cold or warm compresses or wipes over infected eyes provide relief and are very helpful in alleviating the discomforts of this condition.
It is also suggested to carefully clean the infected eye with warm water and a gauze or clean cotton balls. Similarly, consult the doctor as often as necessary and carefully follow their instructions. Thus, in one week there will be an improvement in health.
The SSY warns that it is a disease caused by viruses or bacteria, which is manifested in the inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by the action of infectious, allergic, toxic or mechanical agents and is highly contagious, so it can spread rapidly if it is not controlled on time.
This condition, which can affect one or both eyes, is more frequent in infants, although it also occurs in adults. In general, the action of the pathology is limited, but sometimes it progresses and is likely to cause serious ocular and extra ocular problems.
Its transmission is direct throughcontact with the secretions of the conjunctiva, but it also occurs indirectly through contaminated personal items such as glasses, toys, cosmetics, cutlery, towels and cellphones, among others. For this reason, it is important to isolate the patient’s personal effects from the rest of the family, as well as to maintain special cleanliness and care with food preparation utensils.
To prevent a spread of infection, it is essential to wash our hands frequently, as well as to clean any object that may come in contact with eye or respiratory secretions, as well as to avoid touching the eyes with hands or any utensil.
Source: yucatanalminuto.com