Cold air continues to strengthen before Tet
According to meteorologists, from now until the Lunar New Year 2026, our country will have at least two quite strong cold air waves, causing temperatures in many areas to drop deeply, especially at night and early morning. The most recent wave is expected to affect the North around January 31st and February 1st, causing rain and cold for 2–3 days, then may intensify to the South in early February.
Around February 10, another cold air wave will continue to impact with stronger intensity, making the weather clearly chilly at night and early morning, including in the South. From now until Tet, the weather in the South is forecast to be cooler than the multi-year average, each cold spell lasting about 3–4 days.
In major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the risk of fog and air pollution, along with dry weather and large day-night temperature differences, can affect people's health, especially the elderly and young children.
Hanoi and northern provinces have just experienced a prolonged cold spell in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year. Deep cold weather interspersed with sunny and humid days, along with increasing air pollution, are creating favorable conditions for respiratory diseases to break out, especially in young children.
Preventing influenza A from attacking young children
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoai An - former Head of Pediatric Otorrinolaryngology Department (National Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital), Director of An Viet General Hospital - said that during the recent severe cold, the number of pediatric patients hospitalized due to influenza A increased compared to the previous period.
Common diseases in children are sore throat, otitis media, tonsillitis, pneumonia. Among them, the most common is still influenza A, with some severe cases requiring inpatient treatment," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoai An informed.
Flu A is an acute respiratory infection caused by the seasonal flu virus, most commonly strains A(H1N1), A(H3N2)... The disease spreads rapidly through the respiratory tract, mainly through droplets when the patient coughs, sneezes or talks.
It is noteworthy that the symptoms of influenza A such as fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat... are quite similar to many other respiratory diseases, making parents easily subjective or self-treat at home. The diagnosis and treatment of influenza A needs to follow the instructions of the doctor, avoiding the risk of dangerous complications such as pneumonia and respiratory failure.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoai An recommends that early identification of suspected signs of influenza A will help parents take their children for timely examination and limit complications. In addition, annual flu vaccination is an important measure to help reduce the risk of disease or reduce the severity when children are infected with the flu. Currently, flu vaccines have been widely deployed at vaccination centers.
A common mistake of many parents is to assume that all flu cases require the use of specific antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu. According to experts, only in cases with high risk of severe progression, doctors should consider prescribing antiviral drugs to limit complications.
In cold weather, parents need to pay attention to keeping children warm, especially when going outdoors: Wear masks, scarves, hats and dress warmly enough. Limit children from contacting people with respiratory disease symptoms. When children show signs of runny nose or sneezing, it is necessary to clean their nose and throat to avoid spreading the superinfection.
Experts say that most cases of influenza A can recover on their own, and the main treatment is symptomatic treatment to reduce discomfort for children in the acute stage. However, parents need to closely monitor abnormal signs to take their children to the hospital in time.
In addition, building a good health foundation for children through a full diet, rich in vitamins and minerals is also an important factor to help increase resistance in winter - a time when respiratory diseases easily break out.
