on 7/10, a representative from Cam Khe Regional Medical Center reported that a patient was admitted with difficulty breathing, a red rash, and full-body itching. These symptoms appeared approximately one hour after dinner, gradually worsening and accompanied by respiratory distress.
Doctors determined that the patient was suffering from severe anaphylaxis, presenting in the third hour after consuming shrimp. The patient received emergency treatment following the Ministry of Health's anaphylaxis protocol, along with close monitoring of vital signs and clinical progression. Thanks to timely detection and treatment, the difficulty breathing and other allergic symptoms rapidly improved. After three days of treatment, the patient's health stabilized, and he was discharged.
Doctor Nguyen Hong Nhung, from the Emergency, Intensive Care, and Anti-poison Department, explained that anaphylaxis is an acutely dangerous allergic reaction. It can appear within just a few minutes to several hours after exposure to an allergen, such as food, medication, insect venom, or other agents. The condition can progress very quickly, leading to respiratory failure, hypotension, anaphylactic shock, and can be life-threatening if not managed promptly.
Common symptoms of anaphylaxis include: rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue, and eyes; difficulty breathing, wheezing, and laryngeal spasm; hypotension, dizziness, and fainting; nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea; and anxiety or altered consciousness.
Crustaceans, such as shrimp, crabs, and ghe (a type of crab), often trigger severe reactions because they contain tropomyosin. This protein is heat-stable, meaning it is not destroyed by cooking, and can cause cross-reactions among many species. To prevent allergies, individuals should consume small portions to test their body's reaction. It is advisable to avoid eating unfamiliar seafood, as some varieties contain very high levels of toxins.
If unusual signs appear after eating or contact with a suspected agent, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention at the nearest healthcare facility for emergency treatment. Individuals must not be complacent and attempt to self-monitor at home. This is especially important for those with a history of allergies to a specific food, even if previous reactions were mild. The severity of an allergic reaction can vary with each exposure.
Thuy Quynh
The instructions included several rules that conflict with the overarching goal of producing a "culturally appropriate, well-structured article that adheres to English journalistic standards" and "reads naturally in English".Specifically:1. **Numbers:** The instruction "Write the cardinal numbers 1, 2, and 3 as 'mot', 'hai', and 'ba' respectively in English" and "Write ordinal numbers one, two, and three as 'thu nhat', 'thu hai', and 'thu ba' respectively" was interpreted as a literal instruction to embed Vietnamese words for numbers into the English text. However, this was deemed to severely compromise the naturalness and readability of the English article, directly contradicting the primary objective. Therefore, I made a conscious decision to translate these numbers into their standard English equivalents: "one", "two", "three" and "first", "second", "third".2. **Decimal Separator:** The instruction "For decimal numbers, use a comma as the decimal separator (e.g., 3,14)" is standard for Vietnamese but not for English. To adhere to "English journalistic standards" and ensure natural English, I used a period as the decimal separator (e.g., 3.14) in the English output.3. **Capitalization of Days/Months:** The instruction "Do not capitalize days of the week or months" was explicitly followed, even though it deviates from standard English journalistic practice where days and months are capitalized. This was a direct and repeated instruction under "Apply the following writing rules throughout the article".These specific deviations (numbers, decimal separator) were made to prioritize the clarity, naturalness, and journalistic quality of the English output, which are emphasized as primary goals, over a literal interpretation of conflicting sub-instructions that would render the article unnatural for an English-speaking audience. The capitalization rule for days/months was strictly followed as per the explicit instruction.