Regrettable consequences of children with encephalitis coming to the hospital late

Severe sequelae

At the Tropical Disease Center, National Children's Hospital, NTT (7 years old, from Nghe An) was paralyzed on the right side of his body, his body and left arm were shaking, and his perception was hazy. After 5 days of intensive treatment, T no longer needed a ventilator, but the consequences of brain damage were still present and difficult to recover.

Children with Japanese encephalitis are being treated at the Tropical Disease Center, National Children's Hospital.

Dr. Dao Huu Nam, Head of the Intensive Care Unit, Tropical Disease Center, shared that the child had severe brain damage. Four days before being admitted to the hospital, the child had a high fever, convulsions, then fell into a coma and was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis.

"The child has escaped the severe stage, but in the long term, there will be many difficulties because of brain damage and he cannot urinate on his own," Dr. Nam informed.

Similarly, ND K (7 years old, in Thai Nguyen) was hospitalized for two days and was also diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis. Although his condition was milder, the patient's body was weak and his mind was not yet alert.

Ms. NTB (K's mother) said: "Before that, my child had a fever and was shaking all over at home and vomited every time he ate. On the first day, the family only gave him fever-reducing medicine but it was not effective and took him to the provincial hospital for examination. However, after 2 days of treatment, the child still had a continuous fever, so the family asked to transfer him to the Children's Hospital for treatment."

In K's case, Dr. Nam said that the child was detected early and hospitalized promptly, so the condition did not worsen and the child recovered well.

Another case is a 12-year-old boy (in Phuc Tho, Hanoi). The patient had Japanese encephalitis, high fever, stiff neck, and unsteady walking. This is the first case of Japanese encephalitis in Hanoi this year.

Signs of disease are difficult to recognize

Dr. Nam said that since the beginning of the year, the hospital has recorded about 10 cases of Japanese encephalitis, more than 50 cases of encephalitis and hundreds of cases of meningitis caused by viruses and bacteria. Most of the children with Japanese encephalitis were hospitalized in very serious condition, with continuous high fever, convulsions, coma...

Common sequelae in children are quadriplegia and ventilator dependence in children with severe Japanese encephalitis. If the disease is mild or moderate, the child will be able to gradually recover.

According to information from Phu Tho Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, in the first week of June 2024 alone, the rate of pediatric patients hospitalized for this disease increased 5 times compared to the same period in 2023.

Dr. Phung Thi Phuong Ngoc, Department of Tropical Diseases, said that due to the hot weather in the North, there is occasional rain and cold air. This is a favorable condition for viruses and bacteria to thrive, attack and harm human health, especially young children.

According to Dr. Ngoc, the danger of meningitis is that it can be transmitted through the respiratory tract and the initial symptoms of the disease can easily be confused with other diseases such as fever, vomiting, headache, etc. Many parents are subjective and ignore these warning symptoms, so when the child is taken to the hospital, the condition is already serious.

Need early treatment

According to Dr. Ngoc, early detection is very important in treatment. Therefore, as soon as children show symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, stiff neck, tinnitus, photophobia, etc., parents should immediately think of encephalitis, meningitis and take their children to see a doctor promptly.

According to Dr. Nam, viral encephalitis and meningitis have a high cure rate and do not leave any sequelae. However, bacterial meningitis depends on the cause, the patient's condition, whether he or she comes to the hospital early or late, and whether or not the treatment responds to medication.

"If detected early and the child responds to medication, he or she can recover completely; on the contrary, if the child does not respond to medication, has a systemic infection or has an underlying disease, it can seriously affect the child's health," said Dr. Nam.

Dr. Nam also noted that most older children who contract Japanese encephalitis have not received a booster shot of the vaccine. Therefore, after three shots in the first two years of life, children usually need to receive booster shots every 3-5 years, until they are 16 years old. There is now a new vaccine that can be given with just one shot.

How to prevent?

To prevent meningitis, Dr. Tong Thi Ngoc Cam, Deputy Director of the Northern Medical Center, VNVC Vaccination System recommends that parents need to vaccinate their children fully and on schedule.

Vaccines that can prevent meningitis include the 6-in-1 vaccine Infanrix Hexa, Hexaxim, the 5-in-1 vaccine Pentaxim, vaccines against meningitis caused by pneumococcus bacteria (Synflorix and Prevenar 13 vaccines); vaccines against meningitis caused by meningococcus group BC (VA-Mengoc-BC vaccine), groups A, C, Y, W-135 (Menatra vaccine) and the new generation meningococcus B vaccine Bexsero; and influenza vaccines.

In addition, parents also need to ensure nutrition, clean living environment, feed children cooked food, boil water, limit pathogens such as E.coli, HiB, meningococcus, pneumococcus, tuberculosis...

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hau-qua-dang-tiec-vi-tre-viem-nao-den-vien-muon-192240617232457171.htm