Nghe An: Whooping cough and hand, foot and mouth disease on the rise
(Baonghean.vn) - In the past two consecutive weeks, at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, patients with whooping cough and hand, foot and mouth disease have been on the rise. And the current changing weather is an ideal condition for the above mentioned bacteria to develop.
According to statistics from Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, the number of pediatric patients coming for examination and treatment in the past half month has increased 1.5 times compared to before. Every day, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital receives about 1,000 - 1,200 patients.
Most of the patients were hospitalized due to respiratory and digestive diseases. In particular, whooping cough, hand, foot and mouth disease, rash fever, and chickenpox increased significantly.
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| Examining a patient with whooping cough at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. Photo: Thu Hien |
From January 1, 2018 to April 14, 2018, the number of patients with whooping cough who came to the hospital for examination and treatment was 29, of which the number of patients currently being treated at the Tropical Diseases Department was 7. The number of patients with hand, foot and mouth disease who came to the hospital for examination and treatment from January 1 to now was 65, in the last two weeks it was 26, and currently 6 are being treated.
Ms. Dau Thi Hoa (Quynh Van commune, Quynh Luu district), mother of Le Don Trung Dung, said: The child coughed a lot, mainly in the morning, had a low fever, was fussy, and ate poorly. He was treated at the district hospital for nearly 2 weeks but did not improve, so she asked to transfer the child to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital and was admitted to the hospital on April 12. The doctors diagnosed him with whooping cough. Previously, the child had been vaccinated but not enough doses.
Doctor Vo Manh Hung - Deputy Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital said: At the time of changing seasons, every change in humidity, temperature, and environment directly affects the respiratory system, especially for young children. Currently, whooping cough and hand, foot and mouth disease are on the rise, including many severe cases that require long-term inpatient treatment.
Whooping cough is an acute respiratory infection caused by the whooping cough bacteria (Bordetella pertusis). This bacteria is transmitted through the respiratory tract. If not treated promptly, the patient may suffer from lack of oxygen leading to many complications such as respiratory failure, pneumonia, cerebral hypoxia, encephalitis, conjunctival hemorrhage, and even death if not detected and treated early, especially in infants.
When children have symptoms such as fever, dry cough, prolonged cough, especially morning cough, they should be taken to a medical facility for treatment to avoid unnecessary complications.
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| At the Tropical Diseases Department, there are many children with hand, foot and mouth disease being treated. Photo: Thu Hien |
Mothers should take their children to get vaccinated against whooping cough (combined vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus -DTP or combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B virus and Haemophilus influenzae type b fully and on schedule at commune, ward, town health stations and vaccination sites in the city...
At the same time, parents and school teachers need to regularly pay attention to maintaining children's hygiene./.
