Be careful of getting sick from 'AIDS' clothes

Cam Anh June 29, 2018 14:53

A woman in Ho Chi Minh City had itchy, red rashes on her skin. The doctor diagnosed her with infected dermatitis due to wearing "AIDS" clothes.

In Vietnam, "sida" clothes means old goods, used goods. This name originated in the 80s of the last century when the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) provided old clothes to Vietnam. After SIDA stopped its aid program, the name "sida" was associated with old goods, used clothes.The fact that the word "sida" coincides with the name of the disease SIDA/AIDS is just a coincidence.

Doctor Tran Thien Tai, Allergy - Clinical Immunology Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that many patients come to the hospital for examination due tohave some skin diseases such as allergies and infectious diseases. The cause after clinical screening showed that they got the disease due to wearing "AIDS" clothes.

According to Dr. Tai, most of these clothes do not have clear origin, source, label, or material. They are often packed in large packages and stored in a humid environment. Many places sell clothes scattered on the floor, sidewalk, etc., unintentionally creating a breeding ground for pathogens.From there, users are at risk of infection and contamination by microorganisms, mold, scabies orallergens such as house dust mites.

Many people, especially those with allergies, asthma, eczema, when exposed to pathogens, will have skin symptoms such as itching, rash or respiratory tract inflammation such as runny nose, wheezing, coughing, difficulty breathing... "Users are at risk of gynecological diseases because they wear pants, swimsuits or underwear from the previous owner of these clothes," Dr. Tai shared.

These old items are collected in many ways and washed with chemicals with a distinctive smell to deodorize and refresh. When purchased, even though they are washed clean, there is still a risk of affecting the health of the user, Dr. Tai added.

If "AIDS" clothing is not washed thoroughly, it can cause skin and gynecological diseases. Photo:Cam Anh

Doctor Tai recommends that it is best to buy new clothes and limit wearing old clothes of unknown origin.If using "sida" goods, wash thoroughly, dip in boiling water, disinfect with soap, dry in the sun and iron the inside of the clothes at high temperature many times.Because some microorganisms are resistant to temperature and difficult to destroy in normal environments.

In addition, when choosing to buy, you should not try it on first. Absolutely avoid buying used underwear and swimwear.Because this type of clothing is tight on the body, private areas, and interstitial areas, in favorable conditions it can easily cause disease.

"Sida" goods in Vietnam are also known as container goods, old goods, secondhand goods including clothes, underwear, swimwear, shoes, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals... These items have diverse designs, originating from many countries such as China, Thailand, Korea... Because they are used goods, sida goods are quite cheap, from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand dong. Some famous branded used goods cost up to millions of dong per set.

Cam Anh