PRO/MBDS> Respiratory infection – Viet Nam: increase
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RESPIRATORY INFECTION – VIET NAM: INCREASE
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Date: Thu 23 Nov 2023 15:26 ICT
Source: Tuoi Tre News [edited]
https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20231123/child-respiratory-infections-rising-across-southern-vietnam/76905.html
Health authorities have reported an increase in respiratory infections
among children in Viet Nam’s southern provinces and cities from
October [2023] compared to previous months, a trend typically observed
toward the end of every year.
The significant influx of children with respiratory diseases has
prompted children’s hospitals to expand their bed capacity and bolster
medical personnel.
Since early October [2023], respiratory diseases have topped 1100
cases among the daily average visits of nearly 2000 pediatric patients
at Can Tho Children’s Hospital in the Mekong Delta region of southern
Viet Nam, the hospital said on Tuesday [21 Nov 2023].
Doctor Ong Huy Thanh, deputy director of the hospital, noted that
pediatric patients have been primarily hospitalized for pneumonia,
bronchial asthma, and severe respiratory infections.
During peak times, up to 200 cases require hospitalization per day,
necessitating shared beds in some instances. Therefore, the hospital’s
respiratory department has added around 180 beds.
The hospital also arranges for patients to stay temporarily in other
departments with lower patient numbers to alleviate the crowding.
Certain areas are designated for patients at risk of cross-infection
to minimize the spread of illnesses.
Encouragingly, in the past week, the hospitalizations for pediatric
respiratory infections have decreased, averaging out at around 130
cases per day.
In Ho Chi Minh City, despite a possible gradual drop in respiratory
cases in children during this period each year, the current numbers
remain high compared to previous years, according to Dr. Tran Anh
Tuan, head of the respiratory ward at Children’s Hospital 1 in
District 10. Tuan added that kids from other provinces represent 60%
of the total cases in his department.
The doctor emphasized that people often focus solely on cough
symptoms, while the severity of a respiratory disease does not
necessarily align with the intensity of coughing. He explained that
excessive coughing does not necessarily indicate a serious illness,
and minimal coughing does not imply a mild ailment. Tuan advises
parents to observe how the child breathes at home instead,
particularly noting any rapid breathing, as it can be an early sign of
pneumonia.
Furthermore, parents should be vigilant for other symptoms such as
fever, headache, a runny nose, and critical signs associated with
respiratory diseases, including lethargy, difficulty waking up,
reluctance to breastfeed or poor feeding in the case of newborns,
vomiting, or an inability to consume any liquid for 2-month-old
infants, convulsions, and cyanosis.
According to Tuan, a positive sign is the majority of parents promptly
seeking hospital treatment for their children.
Overall, the city’s pediatric experts report that the morbidity and
mortality rates due to severe pneumonia in children in the southern
region have not shown significant changes in recent years. Most
pediatric patients succumbing to respiratory diseases have
pre-existing chronic conditions, such as premature birth, low birth
weight, chronic lung disease, birth defects, and immunodeficiency.
Northern region: Last week [week of 12 Nov 2023], a sudden drop in
temperature in the northern region reduced the ability of the elderly
and young children to protect their airways, leading to a climb in the
number of patients with respiratory diseases. In several hospitals,
the number of children admitted for respiratory-related treatment has
doubled compared to over a month ago.
Doctor Vu Minh Dien, deputy head of the department of general internal
medicine at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in
Hanoi, explained that the cold weather provides favorable conditions
for respiratory disease-causing viruses and boosts their virulence.
The viruses easily infiltrate congested throats, leading to diseases
at various levels, particularly bronchopneumonia in young children and
pneumonia in the elderly. Notably, a significant number of elderly
people have been hospitalized with acute respiratory infections. Aside
from those with a history of respiratory diseases, many patients are
admitted in severe conditions following self-treatment at home.