According to records, infectious and respiratory departments are overloaded due to the continuous increase in the number of hospitalized children, mainly with influenza A and pneumonia caused by RSV virus.
At the Department of Infectious Diseases, in just the past two weeks, nearly 10 children have been hospitalized every day, with some peak days reaching 15 cases. On November 4 alone, the department received the highest number of patients since the beginning of the season, bringing the total number of children being treated to 58, of which about 80% had influenza A. Doctor Tran Thi Thanh Nhan - Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases said: "The reason for the increase in diseases is due to changing weather, humid environment, children going to school are susceptible to infection, especially in kindergarten and primary school".
According to doctors, most children are hospitalized with continuous high fever, headaches, fatigue, and poor appetite. Doctor Nhan recommends that parents, when seeing their children showing signs of high fever, crying, having difficulty reducing fever or having headaches, should take them to a medical facility for early examination and consultation. In addition to influenza A, the department has also recorded scattered other diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, chickenpox, adenovirus, RSV - common agents in the cold season.
At the same time, at the Respiratory Department, the number of pediatric patients also increased abnormally rapidly. On average, the department treats 7580 patients per day, with up to 100 cases per peak day, of which 80% are children with RSV pneumonia. RSV is a seasonal virus, often appearing sporadically during the year but increasing sharply in cold, humid weather. This year, the weather is colder so since October, the number of children with the disease has increased rapidly, said Dr. Vu Hai Ha - Deputy Head of the Respiratory Department.
Most pediatric patients were hospitalized after being treated at home but did not recover. The disease started slightly with symptoms like the usual flu, however, by the 3rd - 4th day, the child started to cough a lot, wheeze, and have difficulty breathing. When admitted to the hospital, many cases had progressed severely, some children were infected with 2 - 3 types of viruses at the same time, causing a long treatment time and requiring strong antibiotics.
In the case of P.N.M.D (15 months old, Tan Hung ward) with RSV pneumonia, respiratory failure, having to breathe oxygen, fluid, and gas, after 11 days of treatment, he recovered. Or P.M.Q (17 months old, Cam Giang commune) with RSV pneumonia, co-infection with plaque, had to take heavy antibiotics for 12 days to recover from the disease. According to Dr. Ha, the number of children requiring oxygen is currently less than 10%, but the rate of strong antibiotic use or intensive treatment is quite high - nearly 30%. Parents should not arbitrarily treat at home, especially for children under 2 months old with signs of coughing, shortness of breath, fever, high fever or seizures that need to be taken for immediate examination.
Doctors also recommend that during the changing seasons, parents should pay attention to keeping the baby's body warm, supplement nutrition, increase nasal and throat hygiene, and avoid exposing them to crowded places or people with the disease. In particular, children should be fully vaccinated against influenza and respiratory diseases. When children are sick, they should be off school to avoid spreading in classrooms and the community.
