Risk of encephalitis outbreak
From August 2nd to August 5th, the Infectious Diseases Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital received 4 pediatric patients from districts and towns such as Ky Son, Tan Ky, and Cua Lo town. Notably, there was also a patient from Laos who was admitted with a diagnosis of encephalitis, all in very serious condition.
(Baonghean)From August 2nd to August 5th, the Infectious Diseases Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital received 4 pediatric patients from districts and towns such as Ky Son, Tan Ky, and Cua Lo town. Notably, there was also a patient from Laos who was admitted with a diagnosis of encephalitis, all in very serious condition.
Regarding the case of eight-month-old Cụt Văn Thiết from Hữu Kiệm commune, Kỳ Sơn district, his family reported that he had been treated for six days at Kỳ Sơn District General Hospital but showed no improvement due to the severity of his condition. On the morning of August 5th, his family took him to Nghệ An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in a comatose state, experiencing seizures and persistent fever. Doctors diagnosed him with encephalitis and provided emergency treatment including oxygen therapy, suctioning of mucus, anticonvulsants, and treatment to increase blood pressure. He remains in a coma and is receiving intensive treatment.
The case of Thom Van (6 years old), from Xop Thom village, Xay Chan Pon province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, who was admitted to the hospital on August 2nd with high fever, lethargy, and convulsions. He was diagnosed with meningitis and is currently receiving intensive treatment; however, he remains in a coma.
Doctor Nguyen Van Son checks the health of a child in a coma due to encephalitis.
Dr. Nguyen Van Son, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, said: “Although the number of encephalitis cases is not high at this time, in reality, all hospitalized children are in very serious condition, and almost all have potential neurological complications. All severe cases currently being treated in the department show symptoms such as coma, seizures, increased mucus secretion, continuous high fever, and incontinence. The causes of encephalitis and meningitis are Arboviruses, enteroviruses, chickenpox virus, mumps virus, with mosquitoes being the most dangerous intermediate host transmitting the disease.”
Although antiviral drugs exist, they are only effective against some types of viruses, not all. Currently, there is no specific treatment for viral encephalitis. Therefore, treatment is mainly supportive, focusing on improving the patient's overall health and managing symptoms. Those who survive the critical period due to brain tissue inflammation, such as respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse, and infection, may experience lasting effects (paralysis, speech impairment, memory loss, abnormal movements, tremors, contortion, muscle rigidity, motor epilepsy, mental disorders) that are difficult or very slow to recover from.
At the same time, Dr. Nguyen Van Son advised parents with young children to pay attention to using mosquito repellent incense, spraying mosquito repellent regularly, raising fish to kill mosquito larvae, clearing bushes, dressing children in long clothes, sleeping under mosquito nets, and improving their children's nutrition... Especially among summer encephalitis diseases, Japanese encephalitis B is a dangerous disease, usually occurring from May to September, when there is a lot of rain and high temperatures, creating conditions for mosquitoes to develop and multiply rapidly. Japanese encephalitis B leaves many severe and long-lasting sequelae in the nervous system such as limited motor skills and intellectual disability... in children, with a mortality rate of about 0.3 - 60%, and a short incubation period. Therefore, children should be vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis B.
Text and photos: Thuy Hien (Provincial Center for Information and Health Education)
