Increase in infectious diseases

SGGP 09/19/2023 06:01

Currently, many infectious diseases appear and spread widely, such as chickenpox, diphtheria, hand, foot and mouth disease; especially diseases related to respiratory tract infections, pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma...

Doctor CKII Pham Thi Kieu Diem, Children's Hospital 1 examines respiratory system of pediatric patients

Many diseases increased by 25%-30%

According to records at the Examination Area 2 (service area) of Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, in recent days, hundreds of children have come for medical examination, in which the number of suspected cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, respiratory infections... has tended to increase. According to Dr. CKII Cao Minh Hiep, Head of Planning and Synthesis Department, Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, since the beginning of 2023, the examination areas of this unit have received and treated tens of thousands of children with infectious diseases.

Specifically, dengue fever recorded 3,054 children (879 cases hospitalized for inpatient treatment); hand, foot and mouth disease had 19,946 cases (428 severe cases); the number of children with influenza alone was nearly 210,000 cases (an increase of nearly 60,000 cases compared to the same period in 2022), pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma had 38 cases hospitalized for inpatient treatment. At Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital, last week also recorded a slight increase in the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases (currently 60 severe cases hospitalized for inpatient treatment), dengue fever had about 20 severe cases... Meanwhile, according to data from July and August 2023, the number of outpatient respiratory examinations at Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 2 nearly doubled (about 7,000 cases).

Doctor CKII Nguyen Hong Phong, Pediatrics Clinic, Children's Hospital 1, HCMC, examines a child patient.

The number of elderly people suffering from respiratory diseases is also increasing. Normally, each clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine and Respiratory Medicine at Thong Nhat Hospital (HCMC) examines 40-50 patients/day, but now there are times when they examine 65-80 patients/day. It is estimated that the number of respiratory disease cases requiring inpatient treatment in recent weeks has increased by 25%-30%, mainly patients with underlying diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, diabetes...

Nutritional supplements, vaccinations

In terms of treatment, Dr. Nguyen Tran Nam, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital, noted that since the beginning of August, in addition to a slight increase in infectious diseases, the hospital has also recorded cases of children with pneumonia caused by atypical Mycoplasma bacteria requiring inpatient treatment, increasing compared to the same period in 2022. Symptoms of atypical Mycoplasma pneumonia are high fever, continuous and prolonged cough. If the cause of the disease is not accurately determined and treated properly, the child's condition can become serious, leading to severe respiratory failure and death.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded over 68,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, including 18 deaths. Compared to the same period in 2022, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases up to this point has increased by nearly 53%. In addition to hand, foot and mouth disease, hospitals across the country have also recorded a rapid increase in the number of children with dengue fever, many of whom are being treated in serious condition. Another infectious disease with a high number of cases is chickenpox, with the number of children infected increasing by nearly 10% compared to the same period last year.

Analyzing further about this disease, Dr. Nguyen Tran Nam said that pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma is transmitted through the respiratory tract through droplets and respiratory secretions containing infectious bacteria when the patient sneezes or coughs. "Everyone can get pneumonia caused by atypical bacteria Mycoplasma. Currently, there is no specific vaccine to prevent this disease," Dr. Nguyen Tran Nam emphasized.

For the elderly, Dr. Ngo The Hoang, Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine - Thong Nhat Hospital, noted that the elderly often have 4-5 chronic diseases, so when they have respiratory infections, their condition can easily become worse. To prevent the disease, the elderly need to pay attention to bathing in warm water, not bathing for long, wearing long-sleeved clothes immediately after bathing; limit the use of fans and air conditioners (the temperature when turning on the air conditioner should be kept stable at 26-270C), the air in the room should always be well-ventilated; clean teeth thoroughly before and after waking up.

In addition, the elderly need to supplement proper nutrition, increase vitamins from vegetables and fruits to improve resistance; should get regular flu shots and pneumococcal vaccines. Relatives should not arbitrarily buy antibiotics or buy old prescription drugs when the elderly have symptoms of cough and fever. Particularly for children, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Phung Nguyen The Nguyen, Head of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, to prevent children from infectious diseases, the best disease prevention solution is to take children to get vaccinated.

Pink eye outbreak in schools

On September 18, according to the Department of Education and Training of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, since the opening day of the school year, educational institutions in the province have recorded at least nearly 14,500 cases of pink eye, mainly concentrated in primary and secondary schools, followed by preschool children. The Department of Education and Training of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has requested educational institutions to strengthen sanitation and disinfection, limit contact with suspected cases of the disease, and may allow students to stay home from school or study online if they are found to have pink eye.

Representatives of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Eye Hospital and Vung Tau General Hospital said that in the past week, each unit received and treated about 80-100 cases of pink eye every day, an increase of more than 10 times compared to normal days, of which students accounted for 85% of the total number of cases (many students suffered complications due to improper self-treatment or late detection of the disease).

PHU NGAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/gia-tang-benh-truyen-nhiem-post706128.html