After the Lunar New Year, the number of patients admitted to the hospital increased dramatically.

(Baonghean.vn) - The unpredictable weather after the Lunar New Year has led to a surge in hospitalizations among the elderly and children. The sudden increase in patients, along with the appearance of measles in children, is causing concern among many people.

The number of patients has increased dramatically.

We arrived at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in mid-February, during a period of intensified cold weather accompanied by drizzle and biting winds, making the weather even colder. From the hospital lobby, hundreds of people were carrying their children, bringing them for check-ups. In the outpatient department, people sat scattered on chairs along the corridors, waiting for their turn. Everyone looked worried, their eyes sunken. Young children were wrapped in blankets and large puffer jackets, and their relatives took turns holding them. Every now and then, worried that their children weren't warm enough, they would ask family members to add more warm clothes and blankets.

Patients wait for ultrasound and X-ray examinations at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.

Huddled in the waiting area outside Clinic No. 1, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dung from Nghi Van commune, Nghi Loc district, anxiously watched the examination room, occasionally glancing down at her grandson sleeping soundly in a warm blanket, held in her arms. His father works in the South, leaving the 20-month-old boy at home with his mother and grandmother. For over a week, he had shown signs of loss of appetite, fever, and cough. Home treatment proved ineffective, so Mrs. Dung and her daughter-in-law decided to take him to the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital. They left in the mid-morning, but it wasn't until early afternoon that her grandson was examined, diagnosed with pharyngitis and pneumonia, requiring hospitalization.

Like Mrs. Dung and her children, many other parents brought their children to Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital for examination with feelings of anxiety and unease. All the children who came for examination were accompanied by 2-3 family members carrying numerous bags and belongings, further overloading the registration area and the examination and test result waiting areas. The sight of parents sitting huddled in the corridors and waiting chairs, carrying bags and watching their children anxiously in the cold weather, made the atmosphere at the hospital even more stifling.

Waiting for test results.

Not only the Outpatient Department, but also other departments such as Emergency, Intensive Care, Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, etc., have seen a sudden surge in the number of hospitalized patients. In some departments and wards, the hospital has had to place extra beds in the corridors to accommodate patients.

According to Ms. Quách Thị Thanh Bình, Head Nurse of the Outpatient Department, since the Lunar New Year, an average of 500 children have been admitted to the hospital for examination and treatment each day. These children present with symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and cough. Many children from mountainous and remote areas arrive at the hospital in serious condition, requiring emergency hospitalization. Dr. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà, Head of the Outpatient Department at Nghệ An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, stated that the increase in child admissions is due to sudden weather changes, prolonged cold spells, and some parents' negligence in keeping their children warm. Most of the children admitted in recent days have been suffering from viral fever, runny nose, pneumonia, and acute diarrhea. "During cold weather, parents need to keep their children warm and limit their time outdoors. When sick children show symptoms such as fever, cough, or runny nose, parents should take them to the nearest medical facility for examination, avoiding hospitalization when the illness has become too severe," advised Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha.

The sudden surge in pediatric patients has forced the Respiratory Department to place extra beds in the hallway to accommodate them.

Not only at the Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, but also at other hospitals in Nghe An province, the number of patients seeking examination and hospitalization has increased significantly, especially for diseases related to the elderly, neurological disorders, and respiratory illnesses. At the Outpatient Department of Nghe An Friendship Multi-specialty Hospital, an average of hundreds of patients visit for examination and hospitalization. In the Neurology Department, despite having only 80 beds, it is constantly overloaded, forcing the department to add beds in the hallway to accommodate patients.

Concerns about the spread of measles.

In recent days, news of several child deaths due to measles in Hanoi has caused widespread concern and anxiety among the public. In particular, among hundreds of children being treated at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, 10 children have been diagnosed with measles accompanied by complications such as severe pneumonia due to late detection. All 10 children are currently receiving intensive treatment at the Infectious Diseases Department of Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital.

Holding her nearly 8-month-old firstborn in her arms, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, from Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau district, worriedly recounted that 10 days ago, her child showed symptoms such as high fever, difficulty breathing, and sores and ulcers in the mouth. She took her child to the doctor and was admitted to the Respiratory Department for treatment. During treatment there, the baby showed symptoms of measles and was transferred to the Infectious Diseases Department for treatment according to the measles protocol. Although the baby's condition has improved, the couple remains extremely worried because the child is still in the emergency room and occasionally requires a ventilator. Ms. Hang said that for various reasons, she hasn't had her child vaccinated yet.

A doctor examines a baby with measles who is being treated in the Infectious Diseases Department.

Located near the emergency room, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu (born in 1987), residing in Nghi Xa commune, Nghi Loc district, is also very worried about the condition of her 14-month-old son, Hoang Tuan Phat. A few days ago, Phat was admitted to the hospital with a severe sore throat, showing signs of heart disease, and was admitted to the Cardiology department for treatment. Later, he showed symptoms of measles such as a red rash, fever, and difficulty breathing, and was transferred to the Infectious Diseases Department for treatment. There, doctors confirmed that he had measles. “When we heard that our son had measles, the whole family was very worried because we had heard about the dangerous measles outbreak in Hanoi these past few days. We hope he will recover quickly so he can be discharged from the hospital and return home soon,” Ms. Thu confided.

One of the manifestations of measles in children is a red rash that appears after a fever.

Dr. Nguyen Van Son, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, said that all 10 measles patients were diagnosed late, after complications had already developed. Without timely and proper treatment, the situation would be very dangerous. Besides the reasons of not being vaccinated or not receiving the full dose of vaccine, one of the causes of measles in these children is incorrect treatment or self-treatment by families. Dr. Nguyen Van Son stated that some medical facilities or families overuse antibiotics and corticosteroids, leading to weakened immunity in young children, making them more susceptible to measles. Dr. Nguyen Van Son advised parents and lower-level medical facilities not to overuse antibiotics and corticosteroids when children are not infected or inflamed. For the general public, if children exhibit symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, they should be taken to the nearest medical facility for examination and proper treatment. "Measles has only returned in the last two to three years. This year, the disease has appeared early and has dangerous complications, so parents must be extremely vigilant and take precautions," advised Dr. Nguyen Van Son.

Notably, among the 10 children admitted to the ward for measles treatment, half had not been vaccinated, and the other half had only received one dose. This issue is linked to concerns about the Quinvaxem 5-in-1 vaccine following a series of incidents in 2013 that caused many parents to worry and not have their children vaccinated. This resulted in the vaccination rate across the province reaching only 90% by the end of 2013, compared to the target of 95%. Dr. Phan Van Cong, Head of the Infectious Disease Control - Vaccine and Biological Products Department at the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center, stated that the fact that children in Nghe An with measles had not been vaccinated or had not received the full dose as prescribed (first dose at 9-11 months old, second dose at 18 months old) is a cause for concern. In the coming period, the Provincial Preventive Health Center will review and seek measures to improve the vaccination rate to reach and exceed the planned target of 95%.

Following the outbreak of measles in Nghe An province, the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine sent a document to the health centers of districts, cities, and towns in the province requesting them to strengthen active surveillance and early detection of suspected measles/rubella cases at all levels, and to send patient samples and investigation forms to the Center for Preventive Medicine for forwarding to the Central Institute of Epidemiology for testing. Local health centers need to strengthen community awareness campaigns about measles, how to recognize the disease, and prevention measures; increase vaccination rates, check and review measles vaccination rates in communes, and take measures to increase vaccination in communes with low vaccination rates, etc.

Many people are worried because the prolonged cold weather makes children more susceptible to illness.

The beginning of the year is also a time associated with many festivals, tourism, and spring excursions, while various diseases are developing in a complex manner, including dangerous influenza outbreaks raging in China. Nghe An province has many entertainment venues and festivals that attract tourists from all over, so controlling the spread of disease is extremely necessary. Dr. Phan Van Cong said that the health sector is proactively working with other sectors to control and prevent dangerous diseases from entering through tourists and those entering and exiting from affected areas. In addition, the Nghe An Preventive Medicine Center advises tourists and residents to go to medical facilities for examination if they have symptoms of illness, avoiding self-treatment at home. People also need to use clean food, especially poultry, with clear origins because currently, in some countries, avian influenza is at risk of spreading to humans.

Previously, in a telegram urging the implementation of tasks after the Lunar New Year holiday of 2014, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung requested: The Ministry of Health should strengthen its direction of disease prevention and control, especially for diseases with a high risk of outbreaks during the winter-spring season, striving to prevent the entry of influenza A(H7N9) and other dangerous diseases from abroad into Vietnam; strengthen efforts to ensure food safety and hygiene, prevent food poisoning, and monitor food safety at tourism businesses and festivals; ensure sufficient personnel, medicines, equipment, and facilities for medical examination and treatment to serve the people, and continue to improve the sense of responsibility and dedication to serving patients.

Dao Tuan - Nguyen Khoa