In recent days, the cold weather has affected the health of children, especially children under 2 years old. According to Children's Hospital 1 (HCMC), due to the inability to self-adjust body temperature to suit the environment, children are susceptible to infection when temperatures change. Cold weather also creates conditions for the virus to thrive, reducing resistance and making it more susceptible to disease.
Children are at risk of respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure. Some cases of allergic rhinitis, sore throat, fever, cough, runny nose, rhinitis...
Recorded at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, baby N (4 months old, Ho Chi Minh City) was taken to the emergency room in a state of rapid breathing, wheezing and poor breastfeeding. The day before, the child only coughed slightly and cried, the family thought the child had a common cold. Test results determined that the child was infected with the respiratory viral vector (RSV) and had to breathe oxygen for many days to improve.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Nhu Vinh - Head of the Respiratory Funds Examination Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, RSV is one of the most common causes of bronchitis and pneumonia in children under 1 year old. At this age, the small airway, immature immune system and poor phlegm ability make the virus more susceptible to edema, blockage and quickly lead to respiratory failure.
RSV also threatens the elderly, especially those with underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes or kidney failure. The virus can trigger underlying diseases and increase the risk of severe pneumonia requiring hospitalization. In recent years, the burden of RSV has increased due to air pollution, climate change and high population density - factors that make the virus spread faster and stronger.
Dr. Nguyen Huy Luan - Head of the Vaccination Unit of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital - said that proactive prevention is considered the most important measure at present. For pregnant women in the third trimester (3rd month of pregnancy), RSV vaccination helps transmit antibodies through the placenta to protect the baby in the first 6 months of life - the period when the baby is at highest risk, with a recorded protection effectiveness of 70 - 82% and a significant reduction in the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia. For people aged 60 and over, RSV vaccine has been licensed in Vietnam with the effectiveness of protecting RSV-related pneumonia up to 89%, helping to reduce serious complications and death.
In addition to vaccination, Dr. Luan recommends that people should keep their living environment open, avoid sudden temperature changes, clean air conditioners periodically and absolutely not let children and the elderly come into contact with cigarette smoke - a factor that reduces respiratory immunity.
To prevent children from getting sick during the cold season, Children's Hospital 1 said that parents need to keep their children warm to maintain stable body temperature, especially at night and when going out.Children should not wear a set of clothes that is too thick but instead wear clothes according to the class, paying attention to adjusting clothes to suit the temperature of the child's body.This helps children improve their cold resistance and reduce the rate of colds.
In addition, focus on a varied and nutritious diet in your child's diet to increase resistance. For babies under 6 months old, breastfeeding should be done entirely.
