Ho Chi Minh City sees spike in conjunctivitis

There has been an increase in the number of pinkeye infections in Ho Chi Minh City, with the health sector identifying enterovirus as the primary cause of the disease, which is different from the usual adenovirus confirmed as the pathogen in previous years. As per a report released by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, approximately 72,000 individuals have sought examinations for conjunctivitis since the beginning of the year, with around one-third being school-age children and the remainder being adults. In comparison to the period before August, the number of pinkeye patients examined at the hospital increased 1.5 times. An ophthalmologist based in Ho Chi Minh City attributed the recent rainy weather and elevated atmospheric humidity in the city to the proliferation of the pathogens responsible for pinkeye. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has reported that the primary factor responsible for pinkeye outbreaks in the city is enterovirus, constituting approximately 86 percent of the cases.