Numerous studies have been carried out on patients afflicted with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), but various issues related to the disease, including the characteristics of the dengue virus (DENV), remain unclear. To address this deficiency, the current research was conducted to determine the correlation of clinical and subclinical presentations with dengue serotypes and plasma viral load. This prospective cohort study, which was performed at Tien Giang General Hospital from 2009 to 2014, involved 481 children who were under 15 years of age and had DHF for less than 72 hours. Results showed that among the patients, the highest proportion were composed of those suffering from DENV-1 infection (44.7%). The progression of the disease to dengue shock syndrome (DSS) owing to infection with DENV-2 and DENV-1 was significantly higher than that caused by infection with DENV-3 and DENV-4. No statistically significant differences in DENV viremia were found between the non-shock DHF and DSS groups. Finally, no correlation was found between dengue plasma viral load and clinical and subclinical presentations. The findings led to the conclusion that dengue serotypes can be used as a basis in ascertaining the prognosis of DSS and DHF.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) is a burden of disease in tropical countries, caused by any one of four-dengue virus (DENV) serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4). Although there have been many studies on patients with DHF, many things remain unclear, including the role of DENV serotypes and DENV concentration. The objective of this study was to determine the role of different serotypes and DENV concentration in the prognosis of dengue shock syndrome. This was a prospective cohort study, conducted to show information relating to patients’ conditions, such as hematocrit, platelet, leukocytes, and DENV concentration and the differences between DENV serotypes. The study also expressed the relationship between two groups, DHF without shock and DHF with shock, in terms of immune status, different DENV serotypes, and DENV concentration. Two-hundred and thirty-four patients were serologically confirmed as having a DENV infection. On hospital admission day (fever within 72 hours), results showed that almost all patients had a secondary dengue infection (76.5 %). DENV-1 accounted for the highest number of cases (61.11%), and DENV-4 accounted for the lowest (0.43%). No statistically significant difference was found when comparing the two groups (DHF with shock and DHF without shock) or when comparing the groups of different DENV serotypes. The study concluded that different DENV serotypes or DENV concentration in the first day of hospitalization (fever within 72 hours) cannot be used for prognostic of DSS.

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Dengue shock syndrome (DSS) is a severe complication of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and can lead to death, but DSS incidence and effects are difficult to predict via clinical examination. With consideration of this issue, this research determined the role of cytokines in the severity and prognosis of DHF in children. This prospective cohort research involved 234 patients who were aged 18 months to 18 years old, admitted to Tien Giang General Hospital, and diagnosed as having DHF. The cytokine levels of the patients were recorded from admission to discharge. Almost all the patients (>67%) exhibited increased interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-6, and IL-2, whereas only 0.43% (the lowest) presented with elevated IL-12. Concentrations of IL-2, IL-4, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor-α were highest in the patients infected with DENV-1, followed by those infected with DENV-3 and DENV-2. IL-12 concentration decreased with increasing days of fever occurrence. No correlation was found between cytokine concentrations in the first day of hospitalization and shock in the DHF patients. The concentration of cytokines during the first day of hospitalization (i.e., patients with a fever lasting less than 72 hours) cannot be used as a guide in determining DSS prognosis.

Objective: Hearing loss is a serious disease that needs attention from society because of its considerable effects on the normal development of children. This study incorporated systematic solutions into early intervention delivery systems for children with hearing loss in Hai Phong, Vietnam, and evaluated the effectiveness of the strategies. Methods: This community intervention study, which was carried out from 2013 to 2014, involved a comparison of the early intervention delivery systems before and after the implementation of the proposed solutions. Results: Two years after the solutions were applied, the following results were derived: The availability of resources and the quality of service provision improved and access to and the use of services by families whose children suffer from hearing loss increased. The solutions also facilitated the creation of an early communal intervention program and significantly enhanced the situations of children with hearing loss as regards the average ages at which disease onset was suspected, the disease was definitively identified, hearing aid fitting was initiated, and language intervention was implemented (15.5, 21, 23.7, and 26.5 months, respectively). Finally, the solutions enabled detection, diagnosis, and early intervention at <12 and 24 months of age (p<0.001). Conclusion: The strategy of reinforcing intervention programs with general and comprehensive solutions can be expanded to other Vietnamese provinces grappling with similar problems.