However, thanks to the healthcare sector’s timely response to the evolution of the Adenovirus disease, up to now, the hospital still ensures enough beds for admission of children with Adenovirus without overcrowding. These special children patients have their beds not sharing beds with other children.
Associate Professor Le Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Respiratory Center in the National Children's Hospital, said that the Adenovirus can spread through contact with droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person (e.g., during coughing or sneezing) or by touching hands, an object, or surface with the virus on it and then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes before hand washing.
The Adenoviruses are a group of viruses that infect the mucous membranes of humans. The infection mainly spreads through droplets (e.g. by coughing or sneezing), direct contact with oro-nasal secretions of patients (e.g. by shaking hands or contact with contaminated surfaces), or ingestion of contaminated food or water; and may cause outbreaks of acute respiratory or eye infections in institutional settings such as schools and hospitals
The incubation period is 8-12 days. Children infected with Adenovirus will commonly have a high fever, which may last for several days. Children may have a runny nose or congestion, and some children may develop an ear infection. Some children will have respiratory infections such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia. A sore throat is another common symptom. Children can also develop symptoms of pinkeye, which is also called conjunctivitis.
Some strains of adenovirus will cause infections in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
On the same day of September 22, a representative of Hanoi-based Thanh Nhan Hospital said that the number of hospitalized children has recently increased dramatically, every day the hospital receives about 150 children for medical examination and treatment, and more than 30 of them must stay in the hospital for further treatment causing overcrowding in the Department of Pediatrics.
Doctor Vu Thi Mai, Department of Pediatrics of Thanh Nhan Hospital, said that most of the children admitted to the hospital with symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis, especially the number of children with pneumonia caused by Adenovirus is increasing. Accordingly, she advised parents to take their children to medical infirmaries promptly when kids experience wheezing and rapid breathing.
