Increasing number of seasonal flu cases
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Hanoi City, in January 2025, the city recorded 820 cases of flu, an increase of 51 cases (6%) over the same period last year. The main pathogens are influenza A(H3N2), influenza A(H1N1) and influenza B.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung's daughter in Hanoi has had influenza B for nearly a week now. Before being admitted to the hospital, the child had symptoms of high fever and a lot of coughing. Mr. Hung said: "After my child was hospitalized, I received a notice that the class had 3 students with influenza A and influenza B, so I thought my child had been infected with the disease since class."
According to Dr. Do Thien Hai - Deputy Director of the Central Center for Tropical Diseases, the time of winter - spring with a humid environment, cold air increases the risk of respiratory diseases, including seasonal flu.
The flu is a respiratory infection with initial symptoms such as high fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. Some patients also have symptoms of general pain or diarrhea, especially common in young children.
Doctor Hai also warned that the hospital has recorded cases with severe complications, pneumonia caused by the influenza virus or Bacterial infections such as plaque and yellow blood clots. In particular, when patients are infected with both the influenza virus and strawberry at the same time, the risk of death will increase.
Causes of increasing flu cases
According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), in Vietnam, flu appears all year round. In 2024, there were more than 287,000 cases of influenza and 8 deaths.
Doctor CKII Nguyen Trung Cap - Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases - said that the number of flu cases often increases sharply after the Lunar New Year due to the large number of people traveling and gathering, especially during festivals at the beginning of the year.
"In crowded environments, the influenza virus can easily spread if there is a source of disease. In particular, the elderly and people with underlying diseases (cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, immunodeficiency) are at higher risk of serious developments. Therefore, this group needs to limit crowded contact and proactively prevent diseases by wearing masks" - Dr. Cap emphasized.
The effectiveness of the influenza vaccine
Faced with the increasing number of influenza cases, many people have proactively vaccinated to prevent the disease. Ms. Doan Thi My, in Hoang Mai, Hanoi, has chosen to get both a flu and straw vaccination to protect her health.
Ms. My said: "When I heard that the number of influenza cases increased, I decided to register to get vaccinated against plage and influenza to prevent the disease. At the age of over 70, my immune system is weakened and I also have underlying diseases, so vaccination is necessary."
Despite the sharp increase in vaccination demand, many people are still concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccine. Explaining this issue, Dr. Tran Thi Thuy Duong - VNVC Vaccination Center - said: "Currently, the Ministry of Health has not recorded a new variation of the influenza virus, but the nguyencies of the influenza virus change every year and the protective antibodies from the vaccine gradually decrease over time. Therefore, it is recommended that each person get vaccinated with an updated vaccine every year. Studies also show that people who have been vaccinated against influenza have a 26% lower risk of hospitalization for intensive care units (ICU) and a 31% lower risk of death from influenza than those who have not been vaccinated. In the elderly and people with underlying diseases, the vaccine helps reduce 70-80% of influenza-related mortality rates. For pregnant women, vaccination helps reduce the risk of stillbirth and fever by 51% and reduce the risk of children under 6 months old being hospitalized for influenza by 72%.
To proactively prevent diseases, when there are symptoms such as cough, fever, runny nose, headache, fatigue, people should not buy medicine on their own but need to go to a medical facility for timely advice and treatment. Proactively getting all types of vaccines fully vaccinated is an important measure to help protect personal and community health.
