A doctor examines a child at the Bach Mai Hospital (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Fluctuating temperatures, combined with
drizzle and high humidity, have created conditions for an unseasonal influx of
, doctors said.
The number of children in many localities being
hospitalised has increased over recent days due to unusual changes of the
weather, especially in the north.
Most of the children have been hospitalised for
diseases relating to respiratory problems like bronchitis and pneumonia,
digestive ailments or dengue fever.
The Central Hospital of Pediatrics has received
around 2,500 children for health check-ups and treatment each day over the past
week, according to hospital statistics.
According to doctors, the number of children
being hospitalised will keep increasing if the humidity remains high.
The Health Check-up Department is overloaded,
especially during mornings. Long queues of parents and family members stand at
department doors waiting for check-ups.
“It’s hard to find a space in a queue. I’ve been
waiting here for nearly an hour for my turn,” Le Mai Lan, a woman living in Giang
Vo Street with her six-month-old daughter said.
“I see most parents take their children here
with the disease relating to respiratory problems, and my daughter is also the
same,” she said.
Hospital staff have been working at full capacity
to quickly deal with the situation, but people have still have to wait for long
periods of time.
Every time the changes, clinics see an
increase of 500-1,000 children patients compared to an average day.
About 60-70 percent of checked children had
respiratory diseases, a doctor said.
The departments of respiratory, digestive,
dermatology have received the largest number of patients in recent days. The
disease ranges from infancy to children in kindergarten and primary school.
Prof Tran Minh Dien, the hospital’s deputy
director, said when the weather changed, children, especially those with weak
immune systems, are more likely to catch respiratory diseases.
“The high humidity and unusual change of
temperature are the reason for the spread of diseases relating to respiratory
and digestion,” he said.
At the Pediatrics Department of Bach Mai
Hospital, the number of children being hospitalised with respiratory disease
increased 20 percent.
Each day, the hospital received over 200 children
for health check-ups and treatment over the past days.
Most of them had cough, hard respiration,
wheezing, fever or high fever, Prof Nguyen Tien Dung said.
“Many children have allergic rhinitis,
bronchitis and many cases are identified as catching disease due to affected
moldy and moist environment,” he said.
In northern Ha Nam province, the health sector
said that the number of people coming to the general, obstetrics and pediatrics
hospitals as well as districts’ health centres increased by 5-10 percent
compared to last month.
Patients mainly are elderly and children who
suffer from chronic diseases, with some directly related to humidity of
weather, such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease, especially respiratory.
It is forecast that there will be a high level
of humidity in the next few days.
Doctors recommend people keep the environment
clean to prevent diseases related to weather.
They also suggest people should close the door
all day to limit the moisture blowing in the house and use dehumidifiers.
Nutrition also should be strengthened,
especially for children, doctors said.
Prof Dung also warned people should not
arbitrarily use drugs, especially antibiotics, without doctor’s prescription
after a health check-up.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
