Beware of dengue fever complications with risk of death
(Baonghean.vn) - Dengue fever complications progress rapidly and can cause death. If saved, people with dengue fever may have lifelong sequelae. There have been such cases in the province.
 |
| Many cases of patients with dengue fever complications require intensive treatment. Photo: Thanh Chung |
In mid-November 2020, teacher LTL - a teacher at a school in Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau) got sick.dengue fever. For a long time, Dien Ngoc commune and neighboring Dien Bich commune have been a "hotbed" of dengue fever in the province. Teacher LTL was transferred to the provincial General Hospital for treatment.
However, after 1 week of intensive treatment, teacher L's condition did not improve but took a turn for the worse: body temperature dropped, limbs were paralyzed, body aches and pains, facial muscles gradually became paralyzed... Teacher L's family transferred her to a central hospital in Hanoi for emergency treatment. Here, through testing, doctors diagnosed: Teacher L had acute polyradiculoneuritis due to complications of dengue fever, causing blood poisoning; requiring multiple blood filtrations... It is known that the cost of treatment is up to hundreds of millions of dong.
After 3 times of intensive dialysis, teacher L was lucky to escape death; her health gradually recovered. By early December, teacher L was able to walk and live normally. According to doctors: Teacher L's recovery is a miracle because her illness was very serious. Acute polyradiculoneuritis, also known as Guillain Barre syndrome, causes death in the context of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest when the corresponding nerves are damaged. The disease usually starts a few weeks after infection. 10% of cases have lifelong neurological sequelae. Acute polyradiculoneuritis is just one of the diseases caused by complications of dengue fever.
 |
| At this time 1 year ago, Dien Ngoc commune was also the epicenter of dengue fever. |
Many patients with severe dengue fever may suffer from kidney failure, liver damage, circulatory collapse, hypotension, shock, heart failure, and kidney failure. With dengue shock syndrome, dengue fever patients may experience petechiae, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bruises, vomiting blood, black stools, abdominal pain, nausea, cold hands and feet, restlessness, panic, and fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity and abdomen. If not treated promptly, this can lead to death.
From the beginning of the year to the end of November, the country recorded nearly 70,000 cases of dengue fever, 8 deaths. The 4 most recent deaths were recorded in 3 months (August, September, October), including 2 cases in Hanoi, 1 case in Khanh Hoa province and 1 case in Ho Chi Minh City. The 2 deaths in Hanoi include a 57-year-old male patient and a 17-year-old male patient. Both had in common that they had severe symptoms of dengue fever but did not go to the hospital immediately but treated themselves at home, when they were hospitalized it was too late and they did not survive... The death in Khanh Hoa was a 62-year-old patient in Suoi Tien commune, Dien Khanh district who died of dengue fever. This patient had underlying medical conditions such as cerebrovascular accident, type 2 diabetes, and died in early October 2020 due to myocardial infarction on the background of dengue fever.
People are still subjective
In Nghe An, dengue fever has become an endemic disease with many areas where the disease is circulating. Among many localities where dengue fever has occurred, the most notable are the two old “epidemic hotbeds” of Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich communes (Dien Chau) – where teacher L works. In these two communes, dengue fever continuously recurs and recurs, with hundreds of people infected every year.
Information from Nghe An Department of Health: Up to now, Nghe An Department of Health and Dien Chau district have paid great attention and determinedly suppressed dengue fever in two "epidemic hotbeds" in Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich communes. Many measures have been implemented by the authorities: From carrying out propaganda to raise awareness of dengue fever among the people; launching and organizing environmental sanitation movements, eliminating mosquito breeding grounds, destroying mosquito larvae, spraying insecticide to kill adult mosquitoes... to releasing fish and Mesocyclops (natural enemies of mosquito larvae) into the water...
Despite the efforts of the health sector and the locality, dengue fever is still rampant here in 2020. According to the report of Dien Chau District Medical Center: From September 2 to the end of November 2020, Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich communes had 95 cases of dengue fever, of which 91 cases were cured and currently 4 cases are being treated at Dien Chau General Hospital (3 cases in Dien Ngoc, 1 case in Dien Bich)... The epidemic is still developing in a complicated direction, the number of infected people is constantly increasing.
 |
| The process of checking and monitoring vector indices exceeding the epidemic warning level. Photo: Thanh Chung |
There are many reasons for the recurrence of dengue fever in Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich communes, but the main reason is still the lack of awareness of the people. Doctor Chu Minh Tho - Head of Dien Bich Commune Health Station said: "Dengue fever is a difficult problem in the coastal communes of Dien Bich or Dien Ngoc when the disease is present in the localities, the population is dense, houses are close together, the drainage system is poor, and people's awareness of hygiene is not good. The initiative of the people in participating in preventing dengue fever is not high.
Many households still have the habit of using water containers for daily activities but do not clean them regularly, creating breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. In the house and garden, there are still empty bottles, tanks, and pots of water for ornamental plants, creating conditions for mosquito larvae to develop. When the forces organized to clean up, everything was clean and beautiful, but when they returned the next day, everything was almost back to normal, with garbage, beer cans, and butter tubes everywhere.
“The process of checking and monitoring vector indicators exceeds the epidemic warning level. Request the District Health Center to coordinate with Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich Health Stations to quickly deploy measures to isolate and suppress the epidemic; conduct mosquito spraying and environmental disinfection chemicals at epidemic areas, reduce the density of larvae and pupae and require maintaining the reduction level”.
 |
| Leaders of the health sector and Dien Chau district inspected and supervised the prevention and control of dengue fever in Dien Ngoc commune. Photo: Thanh Chung |
Nghe An Health Department recommends: Because there is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue fever, the most effective measure is to control the activity of mosquitoes that transmit the disease such as preventing mosquito bites, killing mosquitoes, larvae and pupae. When people have symptoms of dengue fever, they need to go to medical facilities for examination and treatment; absolutely do not self-treat at home to avoid life-threatening complications.
