Confused with common fever
On the first day of the outbreak, Ms. Vo Thu Nguyet's son (Tan An ward), Nguyen Hoang Gia Phat (10 years old), only had a sore throat, stuffy nose and a mild fever. Thinking that her son had respiratory tract inflammation as before, Ms. Nguyet took him to the clinic and took medicine, waiting for monitoring. However, on the third day, Ms. Nguyet's child still had a fever, even more than 38 degrees Celsius, and was often cold.
Worried, Ms. Nguyet took the baby to Can Tho Children's Hospital for examination. Test results showed that the child had dengue fever, had to be hospitalized and was in a serious illness ward. "Although there are regular updates on the disease, the family is also subjective when seeing signs similar to the common fever. Unexpectedly, the child was seriously ill, even since the fourth day, he was sluggish and unable to eat or drink. The family is very worried! said Ms. Thu Nguyet.
The case of Mr. Nguyen Van Luol Em's daughter (Phong Dien commune) sleeping in the same room is more dangerous. On the third day, in addition to the above symptoms, the child often vomited, had difficulty breathing, had a sore throat and dry lips. Mr. Lu Em shared that despite his efforts, he could only eat about half a cup of congee/meal. "About two weeks ago, there were several cases of dengue fever discovered in the locality. I think the child is also 15 years old, has good resistance so it's okay, I didn't expect her to be seriously ill now. Currently, according to the doctor's advice, the family tries to give the child lots of water" - Mr. Luol Em added.
Sharing with us, parents all said that right after the disease has turned positive and is discharged from the hospital, the family will pay more attention to cleaning the room, house, and campus, especially increasing dietary supplements and motivating the baby to improve resistance.
Complex developments
Doctor Nguyen Huynh Nhat Truong - Head of the Dengue Fever Department, Can Tho Children's Hospital - informed that in the two severe cases mentioned above, there was a child with a severe fever but fortunately there were no serious complications. From the end of the third day, the beginning of the fourth day to the Saturday, there is a warning of serious complications, even dengue shock at any time. Doctors at the Department continuously monitored and treated the disease, trying to help the child overcome complications without affecting his life.
According to statistics from Can Tho Children's Hospital, as of mid-July, the number of inpatients had increased to more than 420 cases, an increase of about 38% over the same period, of which the number of shock cases was nearly 50.
According to Dr. Nhat Truong, in general, dengue fever recorded at the Department often occurs in young children under 16 years old, in which the age of severe illness is usually from 9 to 16 years old. Children with first-time cases are often treated easily, while children with a history of the disease are more seriously ill.
Currently, many people still confuse dengue fever and viral fever, due to some similar initial symptoms such as high fever and fatigue. However, dengue fever can cause more dangerous complications and has a different cause and transmission method than viral fever. Therefore, it is best for parents to take their baby to the nearest medical facility for testing for timely treatment" - Dr. Truong said.
Can Tho health sector also recommends that although the dengue fever epidemic is under control, with the current favorable weather conditions for mosquito development, the risk of the disease will continue to increase in the coming time. Each family needs to be aware of joining hands with local authorities to strengthen disease prevention and control, especially taking their children to the nearest medical facility if they see unusual signs.
