Hot weather, with temperatures of up to 37 Celsius degrees, has been raging in southern Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, and as a result the number of elderly and child patients hospitalized in the city has recently increased. Most child patients suffer from diarrhea and respiratory problems while most elderly patients suffer from chronic diseases.  Dr. Le Bich Lien, deputy director of the Pediatrics Hospital I, said the hospital received about 4,500 children every day in the last two weeks, but on April 1, the number soared to nearly 6,100. That day, 350 children suffering from diarrhea visited the hospital, 100 children more than in the days before, with 42 of them having to stay as in-patients, 10 more than previous days. People, including children, usually drink more water in the hot weather than in cool days, so the possibility of drinking water of poor quality also increased, Dr. Hoang Le Phuc, head of the hospital’s Digestion Department, said. In addition, food is more difficult to preserve in hot weather, so the chance of children eating poorly-kept food are also on the rise. Bacteria that reproduce and multiply in food kept long in poor conditions can cause illness, Dr Phuc explained.

Meanwhile, Dr Nguyen Thi Thanh Nga, head of the General Planning Department at the Nguyen Trai Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, said the number of aged patients who came to the hospital in the past few weeks has increased remarkably, mainly for chronic conditions like respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive diseases. Truong Thi Mai Huong, head of the hospital’s Cardiovascular Department said the number of old patients with hypertension has increased rapidly, with as many as 18 cases in the past two days. In order to prevent diseases in hot weather, elderly people should take a proper diet, apply an appropriate rest regime, and maintain moderate physical exercises. In case of insomnia caused by hot weather, old people can take proper tranquillizers so that they may sleep better, Dr Huong advised. People, including old people, should take boiled and filtered water and should not drink fruit juice sold along the street, the doctor said.