Nineteen newborns with viral meningitis have been detected at the Central Obstetrics Hospital in Hanoi over the past two weeks. One infant has died, and several severe cases have been transferred for treatment at the Central Pediatrics Hospital.
Nguyen Viet Tien, the director of the Central Obstetrics Hospital, believes the cause may be that family members brought the pathogen during visits, as newborns have weak immune systems and are therefore more susceptible to illness. Cases of meningitis in newborns have been recorded at the age of 3-7 days, with infections typically occurring during the summer months.
Dr. Nguyen Van Loc, deputy director of the Central Pediatrics Hospital, stated that the number of cases of meningitis at this facility is not unusual compared to previous years, with only a few scattered cases. The incidence of the disease may increase in early June when the weather is hot and rainy. Meningitis can also appear as a complication of measles, mumps, or rabies.
Doctors advise that staying in air-conditioned environments can create a closed space that lacks ventilation, making the air less clean and potentially conducive to the infiltration and accumulation of viruses, including those that cause meningitis.
