Hospitalizations due to a damaging spell of cold to hit northern Vietnam especially mountainous northern districts are on the rise. Changeable weather conditions have great impacts on the health of elderly people and small children as they have weaker immune systems.
The National Children Hospital in Hanoi was packed with patients though it is week-end days. Carrying out a neonate in woolen blanket, Mrs. Thuy from the northern province of Hoa Binh’s Luong Son District said that her kid had coughed three days because of the cold weather, fretting that the baby suffered lung pneumonia.
Dr.Tran Minh Dien, deputy director of the hospital, said that the number of children examined and hospitalized increased drastically with around 2,000 kids a day. Most of them have respiratory problem, high fever and diarrhea due to changeable weather.
At the same time, Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital and Saint Paul Hospital have seen an increase of 10 percent of the number of kids suffering same illnesses; some of them were even taken to emergency room for serious lung pneumonia.
Prolonged cold weather or changeable temperatures also badly affect the health condition of elderly people. More illnesses have been taken to Bach Mai, the National Heart Institute and special hospital for elderly people. The National Heart Institute has seen 400-500 old people who arrived at the hospital for treatment of blood pressure and heart problems.
The situation is the same in other hospitals across the Northern region. Though the hospitals reported not seriously to overload but medical workers were run off their feet. Big hospitals provided hot water and turned on heat conditioner.
Another cold spell will hit the northern region until the end of January, 2016 before the weather becomes warmer, the National Hydro-Meteorological Station said.
Medical experts said that in addition to keep their kids warm, parents should pay attention to nutritious meals to increase immune system. Old people with chronic diseases should test their health condition regularly by measuring their blood pressure and increase nutrition in their diet.
