Summertime and the livin’ is easy – well, not always.
The sunny weather, pool time, backyard barbecues, and other outdoor activities associated with summer can often lead to unexpected illnesses. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of how summer illnesses happen, what you can do to prevent them, and when to seek treatment.
Interesting fact: While it’s often associated with swimmers, anyone can get swimmer’s ear in or out of the pool.
Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is an infection or inflammation of your outer ear canal, the passage that connects your eardrum to the outside of your ear. Swimmer’s ear typically occurs when water or moisture is trapped inside your ear canal, creating the perfect place for bacteria to grow.
People who spend a lot of time underwater are at higher risk of developing swimmer’s ear. But, it can also be caused by using cotton swabs to clean your ears, having extra earwax, wearing ear plugs, and more.
Symptoms
The uncomfortable symptoms of swimmer’s ear, which typically begin just a few days after infection, include:
Swimmer’s ear symptoms are usually mild at first but can quickly worsen if the infection spreads – and swimmer’s ear won’t go away on its own without treatment.
Prevention and treatment
To prevent swimmer’s ear this summer, keep your ears as dry as possible, and use ear plugs whenever you swim or shower. Afterward, tilt your head to each side to help drain excess water from your ears. Some patients use a mixture of half rubbing alcohol and half white vinegar to dry the ears after swimming or bathing. You should never insert cotton swabs or any other objects into your ears, including your fingers.
vybe can diagnose and treat swimmer’s ear and many other swimming-related conditions. Your vybe provider will thoroughly examine your outer ear canal and may prescribe antibiotic ear drops to resolve the infection or inflammation. If you suspect swimmer’s ear, seek treatment ASAP to help prevent a more severe infection from forming.
Interesting fact: Many people experience flu-like symptoms in the summer without being infected by the influenza virus.
Most people consider the flu to be a cold-weather illness caused by the influenza virus. But you can still catch the flu during the summer, even though it’s less common. Most cases of summer flu are caused by an enterovirus, which can infect the tissues in your nose, throat, eyes, digestive system, and more.
Symptoms
The weather may be warmer, but the symptoms of summer flu tend to mimic its cold-weather counterpart. Typical symptoms include:
Summer flu symptoms usually begin to appear 1-3 days after infection. Most people feel better within a week, although some may have a lingering cough or other symptoms that last longer.
Prevention and Treatment
Your very best protection against any type of flu, including summer flu, is prevention. Here are some ways to help prevent summer flu:
If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, vybe can provide you with rapid tests, including COVID-19, to help identify your issue. Depending on how quickly you are diagnosed, we may be able to prescribe an antiviral treatment (such as Tamiflu).
Seek flu care promptly if you develop a high fever (over 103°F), shortness of breath, chest pain, persistent vomiting, or other worsening symptoms.
Interesting fact: An estimated 48 million Americans – or one of every six people – will get food poisoning in the summer months.
No one wants to get food poisoning at their summer cookout or anywhere else. Foods that are uncooked, such as lettuce and other produce, affect the most people. Undercooked meat, seafood, and eggs are also frequent carriers of foodborne illness.
Other foods spoil faster in the heat, adding yet another level of risk. Make sure not to leave mayonnaise-based summer side dishes, such as potato salad and coleslaw, out of the refrigerator for extended periods.
Symptoms
Food poisoning symptoms can start in a matter of hours or up to 2-3 weeks after eating contaminated food. The most common symptoms include:
The length of time it takes to recover will depend on the type of food poisoning you have, but usually ranges from a few hours to several days.
Prevention and Treatment
To help prevent food poisoning, it’s important to practice safe food preparation and storage habits like these:
Most mild cases of food poisoning are treated the same as stomach flu. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids to replace those lost by diarrhea or vomiting. Your vybe clinician may prescribe an anti-nausea medication or an IV if dehydration is urgent. In cases of extreme dehydration, vybe may refer patients to the emergency department.
Visit your nearest vybe right away if you cannot keep fluids down, have blood or mucus in your stools, or develop other severe symptoms.
When summer illness strikes, look no further than your nearest vybe urgent care! We are here to help relieve your symptoms and provide you with fast, effective treatment so you can get back to summer fun.
All vybe centers are open seven days a week and the team of certified medical professionals is highly trained to treat a wide range of illnesses. It’s easy to get started – just walk in or schedule an appointment online at your local vybe urgent care today.
FIND YOUR VYBE
