Increase in dengue reported in S Reap
THE A ng kor Hospita l for C h i l d r e n ( A HC ) h a s expressed its concerns over an increase in severe deng ue c a ses i n Siem Reap prov i nce. A HC ad mit ted 265 children infected wit h t he v i r us i n t he past t wo mont hs a lone, which i s more t han a ll of last year, according to an AHC statement issued on Friday.
“Due to a n i nc r e a s e d need for i npat ient c a re, some patients are on extra mattresses in the hospital’s halls. AHC welcomes donations and support for dengue patients,” t he hospita l said.
AHC director Dr Claudia Tu r ner told T he Post on Sunday that every day more a nd more c h i ld r en a r e being infected by the deng ue v ir us a nd need to be sent to t he hospita l. Severe deng ue ca ses have been i ncreasi ng a s well, which has caused concern.
“Our i npat ient depa r tment has added seven beds. Matt resses now l i ne ou r hallway f loor to care for the inf lu x of patients.
“We have t reated more dengue cases so far than in all of 2018, and we ref use to t ur n t he most v ulnerable ch i ld ren away,” she told The Post.
M i n i s t r y o f He a l t h spokeswoman Or Vandine cou ld not be reached for comment on the issue.
Siem Re a p pr ov i nc i a l Depa r t ment of He a l t h di rector K ros Sa rat h told The Post on Sunday that his depa r t ment wou ld t a ke act ion to prevent a n outbrea k of dengue and raise publ ic awa reness of t he issue.
A HC med ic a l d i re c tor Dr Nget h Pises told T he P o s t o n S u n d a y t h a t h i s hospit a l had t ra i ned it s medica l st a f f on t he proper procedures to treat
dengue prior to the outbreak.
It has taken further measures such as adding more beds, hiring more employees and preparing blood for transfusions and medication to treat dengue patients.
“During the last couple of months, we have seen more dengue patients than in January and February. Dengue is a seasonal disease. Every year, there is a surge of the disease in June, July and August. However, in 2019, there was a surge at the beginning of the year – which was oddly different from 2017 and 2018,” Dr Pises said.
He said the increase in dengue cases can be attributed to factors such as climate change and rain, adding that the patients’ conditions will improve if they go to a hospital on time and receive medical care.
“We are well aware that our hospital does not charge people. When the number of patients increases, our expenditures are higher than normal,” he said, adding that AHC is raising donations to fund medicines and medical staff for working overtime.