Ho Chi Minh City strengthens measures to prevent pink eye at schools

Accordingly, the official dispatch of the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City (GDĐT) requested the leaders of education departments and schools in districts and Thu Duc City to proactively deploy measures to prevent the spread of pink eye caused by viruses (usually Adenovirus).

First, wash your hands regularly with soap and clean water; do not rub your eyes, nose, or mouth; do not share personal items such as eye drops, towels, glasses, masks, etc.;

Clean eyes, nose, and throat daily with saline solution and regular eye and nose drops. Use soap or common disinfectants to disinfect the patient's belongings and utensils;

Limit contact with people who have or are suspected of having pink eye. People who have or are suspected of having pink eye should limit contact with others;

People with symptoms of pink eye should go to a medical facility for examination, consultation and timely treatment. Do not self-treat without guidance from medical staff to avoid serious complications.

Ho Chi Minh City requires implementation of measures to prevent measles in schools, Figure 1

When detecting students with symptoms such as mild fever, fatigue, sore throat, sticky eyelids, difficulty opening eyes, swollen lymph nodes in front of the ear or under the jaw, etc., it is necessary to guide the child to go to a medical facility immediately for examination, consultation, and timely treatment. Do not self-treat without the guidance of medical staff to avoid serious complications.

If necessary, the doctor will advise the child to stay home from school to avoid spreading the disease. At the same time, the homeroom teacher will be informed of the results of the medical examination.

In case of illness in the classroom, use soap or common disinfectants to disinfect student equipment and desks; notify the health station of the illness for coordination in handling.

Schools need to step up communication on pink eye prevention in various forms for teachers, school staff, students and parents. At the same time, communication creates consensus among parents with the message that students with pink eye who are prescribed to stay home from school should not be allowed to go to school.

Previously, according to a report by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, from the beginning of 2023 to September 5, hospitals in the city had 71,740 medical examinations and treatments for conjunctivitis (pink eye), an increase of 21.9% compared to the same period in 2022 (58,853 cases).

Of these, there were more than 1,011 cases of conjunctivitis with complications, accounting for 1.41% (in the same period in 2022, there were 892 cases of complications, accounting for 1.52%). Common complications of conjunctivitis include: keratitis, corneal ulcers, corneal scars, secondary infections, vision loss, etc.

The number of children under 16 years old with pink eye in the first 8 months of 2023 was 23,873 cases, accounting for 33.3% (in the same period in 2022, there were 10,467 cases, accounting for 19.5%). Of which, there were 298 cases of complications, accounting for 1.65% (in the same period in 2022, there were 260 cases of complications, accounting for 1.65%).

From September 1 to 10 alone, the number of visits to hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment of pink eye was 5,039, an increase of 96.5% compared to the previous 10 days. Of these, 232 cases had complications (4.6%), an increase of 33% compared to the previous 10 days (174 cases). The number of children under 16 years old with pink eye in the past 10 days was 3,708, accounting for 73.6%, an increase of 2.8 times compared to the previous 10 days. Of these, 116 cases had complications.

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