*******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
[PRO/MBDS apologizes for the delay in posting the below report. - Mod.YMA]
Date: Wed 24 Dec 2008
Source: Thanh Nien News [edited]
<http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=44844>
Thousands of children hospitalized during Hanoi,
HCMC [Ho Chi Minh City] cold snaps
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cold weather is being blamed for thousands of
children with diarrhea in Hanoi as well as the
spread of colds and flu to thousands more in Ho
Chi Minh City during the past few weeks. Tuesday
afternoon [23 Dec 2008], parents were queuing
with sick children at Central Children Hospital
in Hanoi. The hospital said they were overloaded
by 3 times their patient capacity in recent days.
"My baby has been vomiting and suffering with
diarrhea for 2 days," said a mother of a
one-year-old child from Dong Da District at the hospital Tuesday [23 Dec 2008].
Doctor Can Phu Nhuan, dean of the Central
Children Hospital's examination department said
between 1300 and 1500 children had been brought
to the hospital for examinations every day,
recently adding that diarrhea patients accounted
for 30 percent of admissions. He said diarrhea
patients may not have high temperatures if it is caused by a virus.
"Diarrhea may cause severe dehydration which is
very dangerous," he said. "Patients should be
taken to the hospital right away when showing
symptoms like thirst, dry lips and crying without tears."
The Saint Paul Hospital in Hanoi has examined
around 600 children everyday recently, a 3rd of
them with diarrhea. Doctor Hoang Minh Thu of the
Saint Paul Hospital said the children had
contracted rotavirus, which is more common in the
cold season. Doctors also advised parents to
rehydrate their sick children before taking them
to hospital, adding that improper treatment at
home could worsen the potentially fatal disease.
"Parents should offer oral rehydration therapy as
1st aid before taking them to hospital," doctor
Nhuan advised, adding to administer only small
sips to avoid nausea. He also called for good
parental hygiene practices to prevent the spread
of the virus to more children. "Sometimes, adults
contract the virus but display no symptoms," he
said adding that they could still transmit it to their children.
Pham Thi Ngoc Tuyet, dean of the hospital's
digestion department said her department received
more than 600 children in the 1st 3 weeks of this
month [December 2008], adding that the department
often treats 120 or more children at a time.
Mothers were advised to keep their children warm
and pay attention to food hygiene, especially
until the end of January, Children Hospital No. 2's Le said.
Doctors Nhuan of the Central Children Hospital
said parents should strictly follow doctors'
prescriptions for antibiotics and diarrhea
medicine. Medical experts also warned about
mumps, rubella and chicken-pox among children in January and February.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-MBDS Rapporteur Vern Weitzel
[Diarrhea associated with rotavirus infection is
a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease in
infants and young children throughout the world.
It can be transmitted through person-to-person
contact, airborne droplets, or possibly contact
with contaminated toys. The disease is
characterized by vomiting and watery diarrhea for
3-8 days, and followed by fever and abdominal
pain. Estimates from studies during the period
2000 to 2004, are that approximately 39 percent
of pediatric diarrheal episodes leading to
hospitalization worldwide are attributable to
rotavirus infection. (see Parashar U, Gibson C,
Bresee J, Glass R. Rotavirus and severe childhood
diarrhea. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2006;
12(2):304-306. available at
<http://www.path.org/vaccineresources/files/Rotavirus_severe_childhood_diarrhea.pdf>).
In in 2004, rotavirus infections were estimated
to cause approximately 527 000 (475 000–580 000)
deaths, predominantly in developing countries.
(see WHO, Weekly Epidemiologic Report, WHO
position paper on rotavirus 10 Aug 2007,
32(82):285–296 available at: <http://www.who.int/wer/2007/wer8232.pdf>).
In the above mentioned WHO position paper on
rotavirus, the following information is provided
on rotavirus vaccines: "In 1999, a highly
efficacious rotavirus vaccine, RotaShield,
licensed in the United States, was withdrawn from
the market after less than one year because of
its association with intussusception. Two new
live, oral, attenuated rotavirus vaccines were
licensed in 2006: the monovalent human rotavirus
vaccine (Rotarix) and the pentavalent
bovine–human, reassortant vaccine (RotaTeq). Both
vaccines have demonstrated very good safety and
efficacy profiles in large clinical trials in
western industrialized countries and in Latin
America. Careful surveillance has not revealed
any increased risk of intussusception in the
vaccinated groups with either vaccine. The new
rotavirus vaccines are now introduced for routine
use in a number of industrialized and developing
countries. The current rotavirus vaccines are
considered equally safe and efficacious, but
differ in antigen composition and immunization
schedule. In general, they provide about 90–100%
protection against severe rotavirus disease and
about 74–85 percent protection against rotavirus
diarrhoea of any severity, depending on the
schedule of administration and the population
evaluated. The protection against severe
rotavirus infection is shown to extend into the
second year of follow-up for both of these two vaccines.
"To date, the clinical efficacy of rotavirus
vaccines has been demonstrated mainly in the
United States, Europe and Latin America. WHO
strongly recommends the inclusion of rotavirus
vaccination into the national immunization
programmes of regions where vaccine efficacy data
suggest a significant public health impact and
where appropriate infrastructure and financing
mechanisms are available. However, until the full
potential of the current rotavirus vaccines has
been confirmed in all regions of the world, in
particular in Asia and Africa, WHO is not
prepared to recommend global inclusion of
rotavirus vaccines into national immunization programmes."
More detailed information on rotavirus infection
is available at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
<http://www.cdc.gov/rotavirus/>. The information
on rotavirus vaccination can be accessed at the US CDC website at:
<http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus/default.htm>.
Recently, many cities from Guangdong, Guangxi and
Liaoning provinces in China had detected the
increasing number of children with diarrhea due
to rotavirus infection (see prior PRO/MBDS
posting Viral gastroenteritis, rotavirus - China: RFI 20081215.3935).
For maps of Viet Nam with provinces, see
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/vietnam_admin01.jpg> and
<http://www.angelfire.com/co/hongnam/vnmap.html>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Viet Nam can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed?v=14.9,108.5,5>.
This map shows other outbreaks in Viet Nam and
surrounding countries that have been reported on
ProMED-mail. The postings can be directly
accessed through this map. - Mods.YMA/MPP]
[see also:
Viral gastroenteritis, rotavirus - China: RFI 20081215.3935]
....................yma/ejp/mpp
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that
are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
or archived material.
************************************************************
Become a ProMED-mail Premium Subscriber at
<http://www.isid.org/ProMEDMail_Premium.shtml>
************************************************************
Send all items for posting on the PRO/MBDS list to:
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org> (NOT to an individual
moderator). If you do not give your full name and
affiliation, it may not be posted. If you are concerned
about repercussions if your name appears on a posting,
please advise us to withhold your identifying information
when you submit a piece for posting. Send commands to
subscribe / unsubscribe, get archives, help, etc. to:
majordomo@promedmail.org. For assistance from a human being
send mail to: owner-promed@promedmail.org>
############################################################
############################################################
0 comentarios:
Publicar un comentario en la entrada