Nghe An: Thousands of children and elderly hospitalized during season change
(Baonghean.vn) - On average, every day, more than 1,000 children and elderly people in Nghe An are hospitalized due to respiratory diseases, atopic dermatitis, digestive diseases...
At the outpatient department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, the number of sick children coming for examination these days is very high, increasing dramatically. It is estimated that every day, doctors here examine and treat 900-1,200 children. Many children have symptoms related to summer epidemics due to the change of weather, from dermatitis to cough, fever, and diarrhea.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (in Quynh Phuong ward, Hoang Mai town) brought her 7-month-old child, Tran Tuan Sang, to the clinic. She worriedly expressed: "Although I have taken very good care of my child, avoiding wind and water, I don't understand why he has a fever and rash..."
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| Clinics are operating at full capacity but are overwhelmed; parents and children are tired of waiting. |
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha - Head of the Examination Department said: Rash fever is a very common disease in children, especially children aged 6 - 36 months. This is the stage when children have very low resistance because the amount of natural antibodies passed from the mother to the child has decreased significantly, while the child's immune system is not yet complete. The disease is also very contagious, especially in a collective environment, mothers need to avoid taking their children to crowded places.
Currently, most children suffer from seasonal diseases such as rash fever, viral fever, digestive disorders, respiratory diseases, etc.; the number of children suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease and chickenpox is not much. However, this is only the beginning of the hot season, when severe heat waves appear and last for a long time, summer diseases, especially in children and the elderly, will break out.
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| Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Head of the Examination Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, examined Tran Tuan Sang, who had a fever and rash. |
Not only children but also many elderly people suffer from seasonal and weather-changing diseases. Every day, the clinic of Nghe An General Hospital usually receives 1,000-1,100 visits, of which about 200-350 patients are hospitalized, the number of inpatients here is regularly maintained at 1,500-1,700 patients. Common diseases are still respiratory diseases, digestive disorders, dermatology, dengue fever...
One of the causes of the above respiratory diseases is wearing thin clothes and using air conditioning too early. Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha explains: The respiratory system's receptors are very sensitive to cold weather. When we breathe cold air, the respiratory mucosa reacts with congestion, edema and increased secretion. The reaction also occurs when exposed to cold in areas outside the respiratory system such as the neck, chest, back, feet, especially the soles of the feet.
Doctors recommend: in early summer, the environmental temperature begins to rise, to prevent the spread of disease, people need to keep their houses and toilets well-ventilated, open the doors but ensure there is no draft to avoid the virus remaining in the environment; spray insecticide, clear bushes, use mosquito nets when sleeping, and clean up puddles of stagnant water in the house. For diseases that do not have vaccines to prevent, such as hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever, people should pay attention to personal hygiene and wash their hands regularly with soap, especially before preparing food, before eating, and when feeding, holding, or changing diapers. Children must be regularly monitored for their health to promptly detect and treat diseases; vaccinations should be carried out for diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, such as chickenpox. In particular, whether sick or not, nutrition plays an important role in disease prevention and treatment. Everyone needs to eat enough nutrients and eat more fresh fruit to increase resistance. For children, the diet needs to be diverse, with vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins C and A to support the immune system... To prevent digestive diseases, people should not eat raw vegetables, spoiled food, or drink raw water; Use a food cover to cover food and kill flies; Wash hands thoroughly before eating and preparing food. |
Thanh Son - Hoang Yen
