Da Nang tightens HFM disease prevention measures

HFM patients are treated at the Tropical Medicine Department of Da Nang Hospital for Woman and Children. (Photo: vov.vn)

Da Nang (VNS/VNA) – The central city of Da Nang is implementing preventive
measures to control the spread of hand-foot-mouth (HFM) diseases as the number
of HFM infections has increased steadily in the region.

The Tropical Medicine
Department of Da Nang Hospital for Woman and Children recently received
between 70-80 HFM cases for treatment each day.

However, Dr Nguyen Hai
Thinh, Deputy Head of the Tropical Medicine Department, said there have been no
serious cases with .

“Currently, the number
of hospital beds in the department still ensures one child per bed,” he
said.

Nguyen Tam Lam, Head of
the Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control Centre under the city’s
Department of Health, said were set up with qualified human
resources, equipment and chemicals.

“District-level health
centres are asked to coordinate with the education and training department,
parents and schools to strictly examine food safety,” he said.

Since the beginning of
this year, the city recorded 1,300 cases of HFM disease, an increase of 200
cases over the same period last year.

Nguyen Thi Thu Mo,
mother of an 8-year-old patient who was treated as outpatient in the Tropical
Medicine Ward, said her daughter was hospitalised five days ago with fever and
rashes.

“I kept her at home for
two days but the fever didn’t stop, so we took her to hospital,” Mo said. “Now
the rash is okay, but she still has a fever”.

Dr Thinh said children
infected with HFM disease often experience fever, loss of appetite, fatigue,
sore throat, cough, abdominal pain and a rash on the skin.

“So when parents detect
these signs, they need to take the children to medical facilities immediately,”
Thinh said.

Each year in Da Nang,
there are two peaks of HFM disease: from March to May and from September to
October.

The reoccurrence of
virus Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a common cause of life-threatening illnesses for
HFM patients, has made the disease dangerous and could easily spread into an
outbreak./.