Vietnam: Disease Begins Suddenly & Immediately Critical - Mortality: 20-30%

[I believe this article has a lot of "noise". The important bits are bolded]

Saturday, 05/29/2010 | 8:43:54 Morning

Heat waves intermingled with those made on oi [oi = hot and oppressive; sultry] concentration of hospitalized children increased sharply, most of those cases are severe. The causes are different but have the same clinical disease situation.



The disease usually begins suddenly and immediately critical, serious disease events, high mortality (20-30%).

Some earlier cases may have some symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea or other flu-like illness after a fever, rash ... but in typical cases, common with young febrile convulsions the whole body; the attack occurred consecutively, and then went into a coma, the majority of deep coma.

Children with cardiac arrhythmias or visit circuit, irregular breathing, but no signs of paralysis (or fallen paralyzed the nerves).



Due to sudden weather changes, no time to adapt children, plus environmental pollution should be the number of children infected with respiratory tract, dermatitis also increased markedly. The rate of respiratory tract infections caused by viruses (viral) is quite high, often manifested by symptoms of sore throat, sore nose - throat (fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat) and pneumonia. Many severe pneumonia but her parents thought was the only nose-throat infections common, self-medication for children, when very ill for a sick child, it was late.



Sunny summer weather erratic rainfall, air temperature fluctuations, high humidity environment ... has an opportunity for bacteria, viruses and pathogenic development. To actively prevent the above diseases, the family, parents should pay attention to well implement the following measures:



- Important to ensure adequate nutrition for children. Food is cooked, hot drink, not eat rancid stale, do not eat green fruits and vegetables, drinking enough water, use clean water in living and hygiene when preparing milk for babies, the food processing ;



- Note thoughtful care: personal hygiene, wearing masks when the road; daily to eye drops, nose drops for children (some three times daily) with 0.9% solution of sodium chlorite to clean the nose, eyes;



- Never let children play with the sun, when the sun or go to school hat, broad-brimmed hats; have enough drinking water for children both at home and while in school.



- Housing must be clean, airy and light enough. When using electric fans, fan should be placed toward the wall or screen for cooling, fans not to flush straight into the wind, especially young children. In urban areas, if using air conditioning, so to room temperature lower than ambient temperature outside is about 8-10oC or maintain the room temperature around 28 degrees Celsius, remember to drink enough water to children from dry throat, especially when sitting for long periods in room air conditioners, to prevent children (and adults) from stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, dizziness to the room should be a basin of water or occasionally wipe the floor home with a moist cloth to maintain humidity in the room. When the cold outside the room slowly opened, wait 2-3 minutes to leave the room (to give your body time to adjust to outside air).



- Adequate preventive vaccine.



- Make sure children wear long pants, long-sleeved clothing to avoid mosquito bites, bed nets, including the child's sleep during the day, clearing underbrush, the block drains, remove where mosquitoes lay (a pool of stagnant water, cans of beer , coconut shells, pieces of standing rain water bottles), fish-tailed flag on the tank some food jars to kill the weak throw.



- When you see kids should closely monitor a fever, if the child fever from 38.5 ° C or higher should fever baby clothes by extension, put a warm towel chuom on the forehead, armpits, groin, fever medication ( paracetamol), then putting her to the doctor immediately.