Pink eye outbreak

(Baonghean) -The changing seasons, high humidity, and erratic sunshine and rain are favorable conditions for diseases to appear, especially pink eye. Currently, in Nghe An, pink eye has appeared and broken out. Pink eye is very contagious and at risk of becoming an epidemic. People need to practice good hygiene to prevent...

In recent days, the number of patients coming to the Department of Dentistry - Maxillofacial Surgery, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital has been very large and most of them have pink eye. At the waiting room of the department, we met Ms. Tran Le Nhung and her son, Hung Binh Ward (Vinh City). Ms. Nhung said: "Her son, Thai Dinh Anh Dung, started to have symptoms of gritty eyes, a lot of discharge, swelling, redness and pain from the evening of September 15. The family bought saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) to wash his eyes. Although we know that pink eye usually lasts about two weeks and most of them heal on their own, the family was not subjective, so they brought him here for examination, treatment and specific hygiene instructions."

Dung’s symptoms had just begun and were mild, so the doctors allowed him to go home for treatment. However, there were some cases where he had to be hospitalized for a long time because the patient came to the doctor too late or arbitrarily used medicine, applied betel leaves, mint or leaves with essential oils, etc., causing other complications, which could affect vision and even lead to blindness.

Master, Doctor Phan Dinh Toan, Deputy Head of the Department of Dentistry - Maxillofacial Surgery, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said: Pink eye epidemics usually appear from around July to October. However, this year the number of patients is at a record high. In the past half month, the department has had a peak of 50 cases a day, and normally there are up to 40 cases of pink eye. Pink eye has also attacked adults, many families with parents and children go to the doctor together because of eye pain. Most of the patients who come to the doctor for pink eye have not had any complications. However, there are also patients who come to the doctor when their vision has decreased. The reason is that they have previously self-treated pink eye, leaving behind complications such as widespread inflammation, so the patients have blurred vision.

Eye examination for patients with pink eye at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.

Similar to the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, the number of patients with pink eye coming for examination and treatment at Nghe An Eye Hospital is also very large. Doctor Nguyen Huu Dung said: “On average, the hospital receives about 20 cases of pink eye examination and treatment every day. The subjects with the disease are quite diverse, from office workers, workers to students. This number is expected to continue to increase…”

In essence, pink eye, also known as acute conjunctivitis, is caused by a bacterial or viral infection or an allergic reaction. In the current epidemic, the main cause is Adenovirus. Symptoms of pink eye are usually redness of one or both eyes; itching of one or both eyes; feeling of sand in the eyes; discharge from one or both eyes; watery eyes. Pink eye makes the patient feel like there is something in the eye that cannot be removed. When waking up, the eye is stuck together due to a film of pus. Patients with pink eye may have a sore throat or sometimes have lymph nodes.

The disease is easily transmitted by contact with secretions from the eyes, nose, and throat of the patient such as tears, mucus, nasal mucus, or tiny water droplets when the patient coughs, sneezes, or talks. The disease can be transmitted indirectly by sharing towels, using eye drops, swimming pool water containing the virus, or through objects such as stair handrails, doorknobs, and public handwashing faucets. The incubation period usually lasts from 4 to 10 days. Depending on the resistance of each person, the clinical manifestations are severe or mild. People with pink eye can spread the disease to others even when there are no obvious symptoms, the transmission occurs during the incubation period. Even when the patient has recovered, he or she can still spread it to others within a week. Wearing glasses cannot prevent the spread to others as many people think, but only protects the patient's eyes from dust when traveling.

There is currently no cure for the virus that causes pink eye. Master, Doctor Phan Dinh Toan, Deputy Head of the Department of Dentistry - Maxillofacial Surgery, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital recommends: To prevent the disease, it is necessary to be aware of good personal hygiene (use separate towels and personal items); when sick, you need to rest, limit communication to avoid spreading to others, wash your hands before and after using eye drops. If there is a lot of eye discharge, you should clean it with clean cotton.

During the epidemic, it is necessary to avoid crowded places, avoid high density in a small area, and avoid direct contact with sick people. For parents, when detecting that their children and grandchildren have symptoms of pink eye, they need to take them to medical facilities for examination and treatment, use the right medicine; wash their eyes with 0.9% Sodium Chloride and give them more vitamin C and eat more fruit to increase resistance. For kindergartens, when detecting that children have symptoms of pink eye, they should notify parents and suggest that they rest at home until they are completely recovered.

Article and photos: Thien Thanh