Respiratory and digestive diseases 'lurk' students at the beginning of the new school year

After the summer break, students of all levels return to school. This is also the time when common seasonal diseases appear more often, from respiratory to digestive...

A doctor is examining a student - Photo: Provided by the hospital

Right before the opening ceremony, TNV, a 15-year-old student in Ho Chi Minh City, had a fever and a persistent cough. Thinking that her child just had a common cold, Ms. PTKP bought medicine for her child to take. However, after 9 days of no improvement, V. had to be admitted to Gia Dinh People's Hospital and was diagnosed with acute pneumonia.

"At first, I just hoped my child would get better after taking the medicine so he could attend the opening ceremony. Unexpectedly, his illness got worse and he had to be hospitalized on the opening day of school," Ms. P. said.

V.'s health is currently stable, he is continuing treatment and is expected to be discharged in the next few days.

Similarly, 7-year-old HTP, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, was also hospitalized on the first days of the school year. In the morning, her grandmother bought her a box of sticky rice, but she could not finish it. In the afternoon, she fed her the leftover sticky rice. Only an hour later, she had a stomachache, vomited violently, and had to be hospitalized overnight.

"My grandchild loves sticky rice, so I thought it would be okay to save it for the afternoon. I didn't expect him to have a stomachache and vomit continuously. Now he still hasn't been able to go to class, and keeps asking when he'll see his teacher and friends again," his grandmother choked up.

According to Dr. Pham Thi Hoang Oanh, Deputy Head of the Pediatrics Department, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, the school year is the time when children are susceptible to many diseases due to changes in lifestyle and group contact.

The most common are respiratory diseases (flu, sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia), respiratory diseases (measles, mumps, chickenpox) and diseases transmitted through food and contact (hand, foot and mouth disease, digestive disorders, diarrhea).

"Children may only have vomiting or acute diarrhea due to a virus or gastrointestinal infection, but if not treated promptly, it can lead to epidemics or food poisoning," Dr. Oanh warned.

What should be done to protect students' health?

To protect your children's health during the back-to-school season, parents are advised to:

Make sure your child is fully vaccinated.

Get into the habit of washing your hands before eating and after using the toilet.

Choose safe food, do not reuse food that has been left out for a long time.

Supplement green vegetables, fruits, give children enough water.

When children have high fever, rash, vomiting, severe diarrhea or abdominal pain, take them to a medical facility immediately.

"Families, schools and school health workers need to coordinate closely to detect early, isolate and treat promptly, to avoid outbreaks in the school environment," Dr. Oanh emphasized.

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THUY DUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/benh-ho-hap-tieu-hoa-rinh-rap-hoc-sinh-dau-nam-hoc-moi-20250910161524604.htm