Pink eye outbreak in Central Vietnam

SGGPO 09/13/2023 20:54

Recently, pink eye disease has broken out in Da Nang City and Quang Nam Province, especially in schools, with many clusters of cases. To prevent the outbreak, schools and the health sector are coordinating to implement disease prevention solutions in schools and the community.

Class 3/2 of Duy Tan Primary School has 9 students with pink eye. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Students absent from school due to pink eye

Since Monday, Duy Tan Primary School (Lien Chieu District, Da Nang City) has recorded consecutive cases of students suffering from pink eye. As soon as cases appeared, the school focused on disease prevention, propaganda, and guidance on personal hygiene to prevent disease for students, especially in boarding classes, primary schools, and secondary schools.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Tuyet, homeroom teacher of class 3/2 - Duy Tan Primary School, said that one student had red eyes, swollen eyes, watery eyes, and discharge. The students also proactively informed the teacher that their eyes were sore, so the teacher was aware of the situation. "On the morning of September 13, 9 students were asked by their parents to stay home from school because of pink eye," Ms. Tuyet said.

Hoa Lu Primary School has more than 70 students suffering from pink eye. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

At Hoa Lu Primary School (Thanh Khe District, Da Nang City), more than 70 students have contracted the disease. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi To Oanh, a medical staff at Hoa Lu Primary School, on September 11 and 12, the school recorded a few more students showing signs of pink eye while studying in class. At the medical room, she instructed the students to wash their eyes with 0.9% sodium chloride solution to reduce eye itching and informed their parents so that the students could go to the nearest medical facility for timely examination and treatment.

Hoa Lu Primary School promotes to students through video. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Schools have increased communication to parents through various channels. Ms. Huynh Thi Thanh Tinh, Principal of Hoa Lu Primary School, said that at the flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of the week, medical staff gave a speech to teachers and students, mentioning the causes of pink eye, the best way to prevent it is to maintain personal hygiene; created a video to promote prevention, and asked homeroom teachers to show it to their children and send it to parents.

Similarly, in the first week of school, Tran Quoc Toan Primary School (Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province) had more than 180 students with pink eye, accounting for 17% of the total number of students in the school.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Hoa, Principal of Tran Quoc Toan Primary School, said that for students who come to school sick, the school will contact their parents to pick them up immediately or safely isolate them. At the same time, parents are advised to go to a medical facility for examination and treatment and temporarily not come to school. Homeroom teachers will coordinate with parents and students to guide distance learning and have a plan to supplement knowledge when the children are well and return to school.

The disease spreads rapidly.

At Quang Nam Eye Hospital, in the past week, the number of patients coming to the hospital for examination and treatment of pink eye has been increasing.

Eye examination at Quang Nam Eye Hospital. Photo: NGUYEN CUONG

Mr. Nguyen Minh Thu, Deputy Director of the hospital, said that since mid-August, the rate of patients with pink eye coming to the hospital for examination and treatment has increased many times compared to before. This rate accounts for about 35%-40%/day, even up to 50% on some days, of which children under 18 years old account for about 70%.

A family with pink eye was recorded at Son Tra District Medical Center. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

According to the Son Tra District Medical Center (Son Tra District, Da Nang City), from 11am to 2pm on September 13, the Ophthalmology Department recorded 515 cases of pink eye, mainly children and young people. Many cases were in the same family.

Doctor Duong Quoc Khanh, Head of the Business Planning Department - Son Tra District Medical Center said that one of the favorable factors for the virus to spread quickly is living together in the same house, living in groups such as in kindergartens, schools, in families... When the eyes are red and inflamed, people will have the habit of itching, rubbing their eyes, accidentally spreading eye secretions to the outside environment. Therefore, personal hygiene and hygiene of shared items are very important.

Students of Duy Tan Primary School wash their hands during recess. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

On the morning of September 13, Da Nang Hospital recorded about 30 cases of pink eye. According to Dr. Tran Nguyen Giao Tien, Department of Ophthalmology - Da Nang Hospital, conjunctivitis can spread quickly due to Adenovirus or Enterovirus. This type of virus spreads through the respiratory tract, so when talking, contacting, especially secretions when sneezing, ... it can easily spread quickly.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/benh-dau-mat-do-bung-phat-tai-mien-trung-post705467.html