HO CHI MINH CITY, (PNA/VNS) — The number of patients with viral conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, has increased twofold compared with previous months in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, according to the local eye hospital.
Over the past few weeks, the hospital received nearly 100 patients on average per day.
In June, more than 700 patients were diagnosed with acute viral conjunctivitis compared with more than 1,320 patients in July and 1,120 patients in August, according to figures released by the hospital.
Pham Nguyen Huan, deputy head of the hospital’s general planning department, said that pinkeye, which is typically caused by adenovirus, is highly contagious.
Although the illness usually lasts for seven to 14 days, patients should go to hospital for appropriate treatment and prevention from spreading to others.
The virus spreads via contact with infected upper respiratory droplets or contaminated swimming pools, Huan said.
Patients should stay home away from school and work for five to seven days, he said.
Dengue on the rise
The number of people in HCM City contracting hand-foot-and-mouth (HFM) disease has fallen but dengue fever has seen an upward trend in the past few weeks, the Preventive Medicine Center has said.
Last week, more than 200 patients contracted the mosquito-born disease compared with 180 in previous weeks, Nguyen Dac Tho, deputy head of the center, said.
The number of HFM cases was down 20 percent in August with nearly 600 children being hospitalized.
However, compared to last year the incidence of both diseases declined sharply.
As of September 9 there have been only 4,760 victims of dengue, 36 percent less than in the same period last year, Tho yesterday told a meeting with officials of district-level preventive medicine centers.
Binh Thanh, Hoc Mon, and Tan Binh are the worst affected this year, he said.
Around 5,150 children have contracted HFM disease this year, a fall of 40 percent.
But Tho warned of a second peak season for HFM disease lasting from August to November.