On February 7, information from the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health, seasonal flu statistics for January 2025, the whole province currently has 633 cases.
At the Infectious Department, Lao Cai General Hospital now receives 10 patients with influenza, mainly influenza A, of which 4 serious patients are elderly, with background diseases and pneumonia complications.
At the Hospital of Obstetrics and Pediatrics of Lao Cai Province, in the last 2 months, the patient with flu treatment at the Department of Infectious Infectious Department has increased.
Currently, the hospital has 12 children with flu being treated in the Infectious Diseases Department and 1 seriously ill patient being treated in the Intensive Care Department.
According to the Lao Cai Department of Health, most of the cases are seasonal flu. Particularly for highly pathogenic flu strains, each case must be reported, but no cases have been recorded yet.
During the Lunar New Year period, no outbreaks were detected through monitoring.
According to statistics, in 2024, Lao Cai province recorded nearly 6,000 cases of flu, an increase of more than 1,500 cases over the same period.
Currently, the typical winter-spring weather, monsoon climate, dry and humid are favorable conditions for pathogens to spread, leading to an increased risk of infection, especially diseases transmitted through the respiratory tract, digestive tract and diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
The health sector of Lao Cai province is closely monitoring the increase in cases of respiratory diseases, including influenza and infectious diseases that often occur during the spring festival season, to promptly handle them and limit serious illnesses and deaths.
Seasonal flu is a disease that appears sporadically throughout the year, but winter-spring is still the peak of the epidemic, especially in the northern region.
A respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. The illness can be self-limiting, but can also progress from mild to severe very quickly, even leading to death.
The Ministry of Health recommends that to proactively prevent seasonal flu, people need to do the following:
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, preferably with a cloth or handkerchief or disposable tissue or your sleeve to reduce the spread of respiratory secretions.
- Wear a mask in crowded places and on public transport; wash your hands regularly with soap and clean water or hand sanitizer.
- Do not spit in public places.
- Limit contact with people with flu or suspected cases when not necessary.
- Get vaccinated against seasonal flu.
- Practice a healthy lifestyle; eat nutritious foods to prevent influenza virus infection; increase physical activity and improve health. When experiencing symptoms of cough, fever, runny nose, headache, fatigue, do not self-test and buy medicine for home treatment but contact a medical facility for timely consultation, examination and treatment.
