Overlapping epidemic: Patients increase, hospitals wait for medicine

This is the beginning of the rainy season in the southern provinces, this is also the outbreak of dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease. At the last-line hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, the treatment is extremely hot due to the large number of patients.

Overcrowded with hospitalized children

Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, within a week, thousands of pediatric patients came for medical examination related to diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue fever. Among them, 20% of the children were hospitalized because their disease progressed severely requiring intensive monitoring.

CCT pediatric patient (2.5 years old, living in Binh Phuoc province) is one of more than 50 pediatric patients at the Infection Department, Children's Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City. According to the family, the family lives around many trees, so in the rainy season there are often many mosquitoes. However, do not think your child has dengue fever. On the first day the patient felt a fever, his family took him to buy medicine near his house. The fever lasted for 3 days, so the family quickly took the patient to Children's Hospital 2 for examination and was hospitalized with a diagnosis of grade 2 dengue fever, which was close to turning 3.

Not only is there a complicated situation of dengue fever, but hand, foot and mouth disease is raging. Recorded at Children's Hospital 1, hand, foot and mouth disease is complicated. In addition to 1 case of death on June 5, Children's Hospital 1 currently receives an average of 20-30 pediatric patients hospitalized for hand, foot and mouth disease.

According to Master, Doctor Tran Ngoc Hanh Dan - Children's Hospital 1 Ho Chi Minh City, treating children with severe hand, foot and mouth disease is a big challenge for doctors. Because often if children are hospitalized in a serious condition, the complications of death are very large. Therefore, it is important to take the child to the emergency room promptly if he sees signs of severe change such as fever for more than 3 days, the child sleeps with constant startling, vomiting ...

Overlapping epidemic threatens Ho Chi Minh City

Recently, Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, has just signed an urgent document on strengthening the prevention of hand, foot and mouth disease in the context of a rapid increase in infections in the past 2 weeks, and the appearance of a virus causing serious illness.

Accordingly, the Department of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other departments, People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City in implementing disease prevention measures under the guidance of the Ministry of Health. In particular, attention should be paid to high-risk areas such as daycare centers, preschools, primary schools, residential areas/inns with many children; Timely treatment of outbreaks, limiting the spread.

When children have hand, foot and mouth disease, it is necessary to closely monitor and detect early signs of worsening; Get ready for the collection and treatment in accordance with the diagnosis and treatment guidelines of the Ministry of Health; Proactively respond when the epidemic situation is complicated.
The Department of Health shall coordinate with the Department of Education and Training and related units to inspect the disease prevention and control at educational institutions and the community; Detect and isolate cases early, clean classrooms and clean the environment.

The Department of Health directed the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) to monitor and supervise the updating of the list of cases and outbreaks to the infectious disease surveillance management system fully, promptly, and react accurately reflect the actual epidemic situation of the locality.

Previously, the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City said that samples of children with severe hand, foot and mouth disease at Children's Hospital 1 all had positive PCR results for EV71, genotype B5. This genotype was first found in Taiwan (China) in 2007, in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, 2018.

The number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases is lower than the same period in 2022 but the reappearance of EV71 is said to be worrisome. In order to proactively respond to the complicated development of the epidemic, the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City has sent a written report to the Ministry of Health and the Drug Administration of Vietnam to support the supply of sufficient treatment drugs (2 types of intravenous Phenobarbital, Gamma Globulin). Intravenous).

* SOURCE: https://laodong.vn/xa-hoi/dich-chong-dich-benh-nhan-tang-benh-vien-cho-thuoc-1202110.ldo