Disease season peaks in southern region

 

HCM City (VNA) – Hospitals in
the southern region have admitted many patients diagnosed with hand-foot-mouth
disease, measles or upper respiratory infections as the peak season for
contagious diseases has arrived.

The number of children with hand-foot-mouth
(HFM) disease at rose by five times
compared to last month, according to Truong Huu Khanh, head of the hospital’s
infectious and nervous diseases department.

In the last several days, the department
admitted more children with the disease, and on September 24 only, as many as
222 children with HFM infections were admitted. One patient died from HFM
disease, which has no protective vaccine, Khanh said.

Compared to the last five years, the hospital
has seen more HFM cases this year, including kids who attend nurseries and
kindergartens, as well as those who stay at home, Khanh said.

Nearly 670 out of 7,000 patients have been
diagnosed with HFM at the hospital since the beginning of this month.

Khanh said that more than 50 percent of
hospitalised patients had contracted the HFM EV71 infection, which causes a
high risk of severe complications such as pneumonia and respiratory failure,
and even death.

Parents should take preventive measures as the
peak season might extend into November and December, he said.

If children have a fever for two days and
experience vomiting, they should be taken to the nearest health facilities for
examination and treatment. 

The city’s Department of Health has instructed
health officials to inform the public about preventive measures, and inspect
hygiene at nurseries and kindergartens.

The Preventive Health Centre said that nearly
3,200 children have had HFM in HCM City since the beginning of the year. Last
week, the number of cases increased by 45 percent compared to previous weeks.

One patient in neighbouring Dong Nai province
died due to the disease, according to the province’s . As
of September 20, the province had 6,100 patients infected with HFM.

The Dong Nai Paediatrics Hospital each day
admits 90 cases, an increase of three times compared to last month. Many
patients are using ventilators.

During an online meeting on September 26 between
HCM City Pasteur Institute, which is in charge of surveillance of diseases in
the southern region, and health officials of 20 southern provinces, Dr Phan Trong
Lan, head of the institute, instructed the officials to take preventive
measures to avoid an outbreak of infectious diseases.

More than 30,000 children with HFM have been
reported nationwide since late August, according to the Ministry of Health. All
provinces and cities have reported patients with the disease.

In the country’s northern region, the peak
season for measles is in May and June, while the southern region has seen an
increase in cases since mid-August.

Dong Nai province has had 136 cases, the largest
number of patients with measles in the southern region, which is followed by
Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, and HCM City.

Immunisation coverage in Dong Nai is low so the
risk of spreading the disease is very high, according to the province’s
Preventive Health Centre. 

The province has a large number of migrant
workers who do not get their children vaccinated or take preventive measures.

Dr Le Hong Nga of the HCM City Preventive Health
Centre said the city has had 96 cases since the beginning of the year.

The city carried out a vaccination campaign for
children born in 2016 and 2017, and is considering a vaccine for children aged
three to five, according to Nga.

The centre has instructed its health officials
in districts to take measures to prevent the spread of measles at hospitals.

Dr Luong Chan Quang of the Pasteur Institute in
HCM City warned that Ba Ria-Vung Tau should vaccinate children aged one to
five, since it has the third highest number of measles cases in the
southeastern region.

Lan said that hospital staff should also get
vaccinated because the risk of transmission from patients is high.

In addition to HFM and measles, the number of
children with upper respiratory infections has increased at hospitals in Hanoi
and HCM City.

Infected children have symptoms such as cough,
difficulties in breathing, runny nose, sneezing and fever.

The infection can worsen the condition of
premature babies and those with heart disease or weak immune systems.

Since there is no vaccine against the respiratory
virus, people are advised to wash their hands regularly and avoid contact with
infected people.-VNA