Hanoi (VNA) - Children and elderly people were hospitalised in theirdroves over last weekend in Hanoi as temperatures reached a historic peak.

Two people have reportedly died because of the heat so far. A 70-year old womanwas found dead after she stopped her motorbike on Xa Dan street at 10am on June5. Earlier, on June 3, a man in Le Phap village in Dong Anh district was alsofound dead after hours sitting under a tree to avoid the heat and sunlight.

Some 3,200-3,500 children were taken to the Department of Medical Examinationof the Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics per day for examinations, anincrease of 10-15 percent compared to normal, said Dr Tran Minh Dien, thehospital’s deputy director. Most of them had virus-related fevers, diarrhoeaand respiratory diseases.

Doctor Nguyen Thu Hương, head of the Thanh Nhan Hospital’s Department ofPediatrics said the number of children admitted to the hospital doubled duringthe weekend. Most of them were suffering from rhinitis, tonsillitis, bronchitisand pneumonia.

Some 30 children were admitted to the hospital within the first day of the hotspell due to high fevers. “It’s difficult to cool them down since thetemperature is high,” she said.

Several children were only taken to the hospital when their parents were nolonger able to reduce their body heat, Huong said. Many were only hospitalisedwhen seizures occurred, she said.

The number of young patients increased by 5-7 percent at the Saint PaulHospital during the weekend due to heat shock and respiratory infections,leading to pneumonia and high fever, said its deputy director Nguyen Van Thuong. 

The number of elderly patients also rose at the Vietnam National GeriatricHospital, with an average of 300 patients coming to the hospital formedical examinations per day, Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper reported. 

The most common diseases were respiratory diseases and cerebrovascularaccidents, according to the newspaper.

There are some 200 types of virus-related diseases that occur in the summer.Most are harmless, except for chickenpox and dengue fever, according to medicalresearch.

Children and elderly people are most vulnerable to the harsh summer heat, saiddoctor Thuong from Saint Paul Hospital. They should drink a lot of water,consume enough nutrients and a lot of fruit to improve their immune systems, headded.

Citizens should avoid going out from 10am to 4pm because the ultraviolet rays arethe strongest during this time and can cause severe damages to the eyes, skin,and immune system, he said.

The capital city experienced the first heat wave of the summer over the pastdays. The highest temperature was recorded at Ha Dong district at 42degrees Celsius on June 3, breaking records from the past 45 years, accordingto experts.

Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Centre forHydro-meteorological Forecasting, said that six hot spells areexpected to hit the north of the country in June and July, three for eachmonth, each lasting 3-7 days.

However, it is unlikely that temperatures will reach this peak again, he said.-VNA