Pink eye cases on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City
VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City recorded a total of 71,740 cases of viral conjunctivitis (pink eye) during the first eight months of the year, a significant increase over the same period from last year, the southern city’s Department of Health has reported.
It is worth noting that the number of cases has tended to increase in recent days compared to the initial months of the year, with about a third of infections recorded among school-age children.
A report from Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital highlights that the number of cases of conjunctivitis–cornea, a severe clinical form of pink eye, has recently been discovered, although it is not common.
In order to cope with the complicated developments of the disease, the city’s Department of Health has coordinated the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in conducting research to accurately identify the cause of pink eye.
The disease reached its peak in 2013 and then subsided in the following years before breaking out this year.
According to health experts, it is necessary to strengthen communication with people, teachers, and parents of students about the symptoms of pink eye disease that can help prevent the spread of the disease and differentiate between the disease and other eye diseases, as well as giving homecare tips for mild cases.
An infected person should take five to seven days off from work or school to stay at home to avoid spreading the disease to others. When a person experiences pink eye, he/she should head to the nearest medical facility for diagnosis, guidance, and appropriate care.
As pink eye is easily spread through contact with an infected surface or person, people should regularly wash their hands with soap and never touch their eyes with their hands or share towels, facemasks, eyeglasses, eye drops, or washcloths with others.
