Is pink eye caused by adenovirus and enterovirus dangerous? Do I need to use preventive eye drops?

At noon on September 8, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health announced that it had identified the cause of pink eye in Ho Chi Minh City for over a month as two types of adenovirus and enterovirus.

Specifically, the number of cases of pink eye coming to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City is increasing. At the request of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital and the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) to search for the causative agent of the disease in 39 patients with pink eye who came to the Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital on September 7. The results showed that of the 39 collected samples, 5 samples contained adenovirus, 32 samples contained enterovirus, and the remaining 2 samples did not find the agent.

From the above results, it can be concluded that the cause of pink eye in patients in Ho Chi Minh City during the past time is enterovirus and adenovirus.

Is pink eye caused by enterovirus and adenovirus dangerous?

Dr. Le Duc Quoc (Department of Ophthalmology, Nam Sai Gon International General Hospital) said: Pink eye caused by adenovirus and enterovirus often has symptoms of red eyes, itchy eyes, pain, swollen eyelids, discharge, and systemic viral symptoms. However, the disease can be cured after 7-14 days if properly cared for and attention should be paid to daily personal hygiene for a quick recovery.

When patients feel uncomfortable due to eye pain or foreign body sensation, they should see an ophthalmologist for timely diagnosis and treatment to avoid complications affecting the cornea such as keratitis, corneal ulcers, which can lead to blindness.

In addition, pink eye is not too dangerous but is easily confused with other diseases such as scleritis, endophthalmitis, corneal ulcers. Patients need to go to eye hospitals for examination to have appropriate treatment.

People with pink eye often experience symptoms of red, itchy eyes and discharge.

Complication rate is 1.59%

According to HCDC, from the beginning of 2023 to August 31, the total number of conjunctivitis (pink eye) cases recorded at hospitals in the city was 63,309 cases, an increase of 15.38% over the same period in 2022, which was 53,573 cases.

Of the total 63,039 cases, 1,001 had complications, accounting for 1.59%. Common complications of conjunctivitis include keratitis, corneal ulcers, corneal scars, secondary infections, impaired vision, etc.

The number of children under 16 years old with conjunctivitis in the first 8 months of 2023 was 15,402 cases, accounting for 24.43%. Among children under 16 years old with conjunctivitis, there were 288 cases of complications, accounting for 1.87%.

No need to "hunt for good medicine" or take preventive medicine

Doctor Truong Huu Khanh (Department of Infectious Neurology, Children's Hospital 1) said that for pink eye, there is no need to buy eye drops to prevent pink eye. Because it is not effective. People with pink eye should wear glasses and masks for 5-7 days. When cleaning the eyes, use a clean cotton ball to wipe once and then throw it away. Do not use a towel many times because it can easily cause secondary infection.

"For patients with pink eye, it is very rare to need to take antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs. When the disease starts, you should clean the eyes with saline solution. When the discharge becomes more cloudy, the doctor will prescribe antibiotic drops. However, there is no need to "hunt" for "high-quality" medicine, regular medicine is also effective," Dr. Khanh shared.

In addition, Dr. Khanh also noted that when young children have pink eye and do not cooperate with eye drops, do not try to force them to cry or have tears... You should wait until the child is asleep to apply eye drops.

In the early stages of pink eye, clean your eyes mainly with saline solution.

Some measures to prevent pink eye and the spread of the disease

Doctor Quoc said: to prevent pink eye, we need to pay attention to some issues such as regularly washing hands with soap, not rubbing eyes, nose, mouth; not sharing personal items such as eye drops, towels...

Clean eyes, nose, and throat daily with saline or regular eye and nose drops. Disinfect patient's belongings and utensils with soap or regular disinfectants.

Avoid direct or close contact with people with pink eye.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/dau-mat-do-do-vi-rut-adeno-va-entero-co-nguy-hiem-co-can-nho-thuoc-ngua-185230909090204357.htm