According to data from Vinh Long General Hospital, the number of pediatric patients with respiratory and digestive diseases in the first quarter of 2025 has increased by about 15 - 20% compared to the same period in 2024.
Ms. Le Thi Thu Huong, residing in Mang Thit district, said that as usual, seeing her child showing mild fever, she took him to a private doctor for examination and to buy medicine to take. However, after many days of treatment, seeing that the condition did not improve, she decided to take her child to the hospital for a blood test.
Test results showed that the child had an infection and needed to be hospitalized for treatment. "If you don't take your child for testing early, the condition could get much more serious," said Ms. Huong.
Also taking care of her children at Vinh Long General Hospital, Ms. Ho Thi Lanh (Tien Giang) said that her children often have symptoms of coughing and runny nose when the weather changes.
According to Ms. Lanh, like her previous children, when she showed signs of heat, fever, and coughing in hot weather, she went to a pharmacy near her home to buy 3 days of medicine for her children to take. However, this time her child did not improve but her illness became more and more serious.
After the child became tired and stopped eating and showed signs of difficulty breathing, the family rushed to take the child to the hospital for treatment. "When the doctor said I had to be hospitalized to treat my child completely, I was also worried but understood that if I did not intervene promptly, the condition could become more serious," Ms. Lanh shared.
Speaking with Lao Dong, Dr. Tran Chi Cong - Deputy Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Vinh Long General Hospital - said that the prolonged hot weather in recent days has been a favorable factor causing many diseases for young children, especially those with weak resistance.
According to Dr. Tran Chi Cong, from the beginning of 2025 to now, the number of children hospitalized for treatment has increased significantly, especially respiratory and digestive diseases.
In previous years, the hospital received about 300 patients with respiratory and digestive diseases each quarter. However, in the first quarter of 2025, this number increased significantly, with about 350-370 patients admitted.
Given the increasing epidemic, we need to maintain safe eating habits, use fresh foods, cook thoroughly and drink boiling water to minimize the risk of poisoning and digestive diseases in this high temperature environment, added Dr. Cong.
