How dangerous is the virus variant that caused the pink eye outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City?

The main cause of pink eye in Ho Chi Minh City is the coxsackie A24 virus variant, which is more contagious, easily causes outbreaks, and often causes hemorrhagic conjunctivitis.

Results of gene sequencing of conjunctivitis (pink eye) specimens in Ho Chi Minh City determined that coxsackie virus A24 accounted for 86% of samples, human adenovirus 54 accounted for 11% and human adenovirus 37 accounted for 3%. Among them, coxsackie A24 is a variant of the enterovirus group.

Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, said that these viruses are different in their level of transmission, and in terms of causing serious illness, there is no evidence to confirm that there is a difference. Among them, enteroviruses are often more contagious, causing many major epidemics around the world.

Coxsackie A24 along with EV70 (both in the enterovirus group) often cause hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC), which is the main manifestation in the current pink eye outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City. These two agents caused the first hemorrhagic conjunctivitis epidemic reported in 1969 in Ghana. Since then, many epidemics of hemorrhagic conjunctivitis have been recorded in many parts of the world.

In Asia, coxsackie A24 was first recorded in Singapore in 1970, then appeared in epidemics in other countries, and was the main cause of the hemorrhagic conjunctivitis epidemic in Okinawa, Japan in 2011. In 2014, the enterovirus group caused hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Thailand with more than 300,000 cases of infection within 3 months.

Doctor Nguyen Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the City Children's Hospital, said the nature of coxsackie A24 spreads quickly, causing epidemics, while some other agents often cause sporadic cases of pink eye. Studies have shown that viruses containing RNA nuclei such as coxsackie A24 often spread faster than those containing DNA nuclei such as adenovirus - also a quite common cause of pink eye.

"Hemorrhagic conjunctivitis is not more dangerous, but causes a lot of red eyes, can discharge pink fluid, making the patient more worried and uncomfortable. Most diseases are benign and can go away on their own," the doctor said. Coxsackie A24 can still cause severe but often acute conjunctivitis, and in very few cases corneal edema, while adenovirus can cause chronic keratitis, leading to blindness. .

Pink eye disease is spreading in many localities across the country. In recent days, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded nearly 4,000 people suffering from pink eye every day. Hospitals in Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho, Binh Phuoc... have also received many times more patients coming for examination.

Pink eye is transmitted mainly by direct contact with secretions of the eyes, nose, and mouth, such as sharing personal items with an infected person, through towels, clothes, water in swimming pools, and through the hands of sick people. If you don't have the disease, you rub your eyes... Common symptoms include red eyes due to conjunctival congestion, sandy eyes, stimulated tearing, a lot of gunk in the eyes, and difficulty opening the eyes when waking up. ...

People with pink eye can use physiological saline (sodium chloride 0.9%) or distilled water to wash their eyes. Eye drops containing antibiotics will be prescribed by the doctor when the patient has signs of suspected bacterial infection (pain, decreased vision, photophobia...), to prevent infection after pseudomembranous membrane removal. . Absolutely do not arbitrarily use eye drops containing corticosteroids, because not only are they ineffective but they will also make the damage worse, prolong the duration and spread of the disease, and increase the risk of infection.

Cold compresses can help reduce eye swelling and reduce eye discomfort. Regularly wash your hands and face with mild antibacterial soap. Avoid sharing cups, bowls, and towels with others to prevent infection. Do not rub your eyes or go swimming, as this will aggravate the condition.

Preventing the spread of viral pink eye is to regularly wash your hands with soap and use clean water. Do not raise your hands to rub your eyes, nose, or mouth. Do not share personal items such as eye drop bottles, towels, eyeglasses, masks... Clean your eyes, nose, and throat daily with physiological saline, regular eye drops, and nose drops. After recovering from illness, people need to disinfect eyeglasses, wash blankets, pillows, and towels to avoid reinfection.

* SOURCE: https://vnexpress.net/bien-the-virus-lam-bung-dich-dau-mat-do-o-tp-hcm-nguy-hiem-the-nao-4653960.html