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Rhinitis, sore throat outbreaks hit Vietnam north
http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=20721
http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=20721
Rhinitis and throat infections have surged in the last 10 days in northern Vietnam due to the change of seasons and pollution, the National Eye-Nose-Throat Institute (NENTI) said.
Vice Director Le Xuan Canh said the institute was testing some 400 people for rhinitis and sore throat daily.
Most people contracted the two diseases because of the onset of autumn which was causing chilly weather in the mornings and evenings, and the change in humidity levels.
Environmental pollution caused by vehicle exhaust and industrial effluents too contributed to the respiratory illness.
Patients with rhinitis and sinusitis had nasal congestion, facial pain, headache, fever, thick green or yellow discharge, facial 'fullness' which worsened when bending over, tooth ache, and others.
Over 85 percent of chronic patients could be treated with drugs while the rest needed surgery.
During the last week, NENTI had performed operations on 10-15 chronic cases each day.
But post-operative patients needed to be careful since the surgery did not provide immunity against the diseases, Canh said.
In August a report on pollution in HCMC made by the city?s Natural Resources and Environment Department warned that increasing environment pollution put more and more children at risk of contracting sore throat, rhinitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, inflammation of the middle ear, and other illnesses.
Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre ? Compiled by Luu Thi Hong