The epidemic appeared late but there were still many serious cases
Recorded at the Department of virus - Parasitology, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in the past month, the number of cases of dengue fever has tended to increase, although still lower than the same period in previous years.
A 54-year-old male patient in Hoai Duc commune (Hanoi) was diagnosed with dengue fever after 1-2 days of showing symptoms of fever. According to the patient, in the past 1-2 months, the area around the house has recorded scattered cases. When he felt that his fever was prolonged and that taking medicine did not help, he took the initiative to go for a test and was determined to have dengue fever. After being informed of a deep drop in platelets, the patient was quickly hospitalized for timely monitoring and treatment.
Also living in an epidemic area, Ms. Mao Thi Hai Yen (Lang Son) said that her initial manifestation was high fever 39-400C, after 5 days of treatment in the lower body, which did not improve, platelets decreased, so she was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for treatment. By the 6th day, I started to have more rashes, eat better and my health gradually recovered, said Ms. Yen.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Head of the Department of virus - Parasitology - said that this year's dengue fever epidemic in the North appeared later and the number of recorded cases was less, but there were still many cases with severe developments, including platelet cases that decreased sharply. Normally, the number of platelets in the blood ranges from 150-400G/L, but some patients reduce to only 3-5G/L - a very low level - Dr. Binh said.
In addition, the severity of dengue fever does not depend entirely on platelets, but is mainly due to the situation of huyetosal drainage, causing blood to clot, leading to shock and multiple organ failure.
Doctor Binh warned that people with underlying diseases such as liver, kidneys, heart failure, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, HIV infection, obese people or pregnant women are at risk of serious complications when suffering from the disease.
The risk of epidemics increasing in the coming time
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap - Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, any factor that leads to the formation of stagnant water ponds in warm temperature conditions creates an ideal environment for mosquitoes to grow and develop, increasing the risk of disease spread. "With heavy rains and strong water flows like the recent storm, it will not significantly increase cases. However, the stagnant water swells after rain, or when entering the prolonged brown rainy season, will cause mosquitoes to thrive, leading to the risk of many new outbreaks in the coming time" - Dr. Cap commented.
He added that this year the epidemic has had unusual developments in some northern localities, such as Lang Son and Hai Phong. Notably, Lang Son has never recorded a major outbreak before, but there have been some outbreaks.
When an epidemic occurs, localities need to urgently implement control measures, including mosquito control, lung disease, spraying medicine and stepping up propaganda to make people better understand the disease, avoid panic or self-treat incorrectly.
On the health sector side, the key task is to ensure enough hospital beds, medicine and medical equipment, especially drugs and infusions for the treatment of dengue fever.
Doctor Cap recommends that people need to clearly understand that dengue fever develops through many stages to monitor and treat it properly.
In the first 3 days, the patient often has a high fever, headache, and body aches. This is the initial stage, and severe complications rarely appear. However, from the 4th to the 7th day, the disease enters a dangerous stage, complications can occur quickly and complicatedly.
Patients should absolutely not be subjective at this time. Re-examination and close monitoring are very necessary for doctors to detect severe warning signs early and handle them promptly, helping to minimize dangerous complications.
