The number of children hospitalized in Hanoi has surged recently, with most suffering respiratory problems, amid the unusual rainy weather that has boosted virus growth, as shown in a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper survey.

Increased child hospitalization has resulted from uncommon prolonged heavy rains in recent times that have led to high humidity favorable for bacteria and viruses to thrive and cause respiratory diseases, doctors said. 

Over the past days, the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi has received a daily average of 200 children coming for respiratory diseases, with 30 of them suffering from lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

Similarly, the pediatric departments of other hospitals in the capital, such as E, Xanh  Pôn (Saint Paul), and Thanh Nhan, also saw more children admitted with respiratory infection and acute diarrhea.

Dr. Nghiem Thi Mai Sang, deputy head of the pediatrics department of Thanh Nhan Hospital, said that the number of children admitted to the hospital with vomiting, fever, and diarrhea has jumped in the past two weeks.

Most of these patients responded welll to treatment and recovered soon, Dr. Sang said.

“Over the past week, the number of children admitted to the hospital has surged by 150 to 200 percent compared to the previous weeks,” Dr. Sang said.

Some 70 percent of the about 100 child patients under treatment mainly suffer from pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis, the doctor added.

As shown in test results, many children have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that causes infection of the lungs and respiratory tract, triggering bronchiolitis and pneumonia. 

“Notably, there have been many cases where parents made some mistakes in taking care of children at home, worsening their conditions,” Dr. Sang warned.

Tran Thi Tuyet Nga, residing in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, said that her three-year-old daughter was hospitalized six days after developing a fever and cough.

“I gave her some antipyretic pills and others bought from a pharmacy but her fever did not subside after three days," Nga recounted.

“I rushed her to the hospital when she had difficulty breathing and doctors later diagnosed her with acute bronchiolitis associated with adverse weather conditions.”

Nghiem Duc Toan, a local resident, said his four-month-old son had a fever, cough, and wheezing so he took the baby to Thanh Nhan after his condition did not improve following days of taking medications at home.

The baby was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and pneumonia and his conditions have been better but he needs further monitoring, Toan said.

Many parents randomly treat their ill children with antibiotics or take them to the hospital late due to their subjective judgments about the kids’ conditions, Sang said.

Such improper practices not only cause the kids to be hospitalized in severe conditions but also make it more difficult for doctors to treat them, the doctor added.

“The most common mistakes are arbitrarily treating child patients with some medications including antibiotics and applying cold compresses on them when they run a high fever,” according to Dr. Sang.

Cold compress application to a child suffering a fever will not reduce it but can make them cold, the doctor warned.

Antibiotics will not work in virus-caused ailments but may lead to more severe conditions, including sepsis.

During adverse weather conditions, parents should keep kids clean and avoid exposing them to crowded places to minimize risks of infection, doctors advised.

In addition, kids should be fed with more nutritional supplements to improve their resistance, and any children with respiratory problems, including prolonged cough and shortness of breath, should be taken to medical facilities, they added.

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