Dr Ngo Thuy Minh Nhi from Children's Hospital 2 said that since mid-March, the hospital had witnessed a rise in patients. Every day, around 4,000 children come to the hospital for medical check-ups, mostly related to respiratory and digestive problems, an increase of 10-15 percent since the beginning of the year.
Children's Hospital 2 was crowded from the early morning
Children aged between one and five have been hardest hit. The hospital has arranged more doctors to serve the increasing demand these days, Nhi added.
The fever virus tops respiratory diseases with a high rate of infection among children.
In March, the HCM City Centre for Disease Control warned of respiratory disease outbreaks, particularly fever virus and Influenza A at local schools in the context of the rainy season.
Dr Nguyen Minh Tien, deputy director of the HCM City Paediatrics Hospital in Binh Chanh District, said the number of children aged under 5 with respiratory diseases had increased by 20 to 30 percent compared to the same period last year.
About five percent of the child patients needed to be hospitalised for treatment with severe symptoms.
To struggle with patient overcrowding, the hospital strengthened outpatient treatment for cases with mild symptoms.
The number of children suffering from respiratory diseases has also increased at other children's hospitals in the city.