The beginning of September marks the start of new term and also the peak time of pink eye disease, according to the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Guangdong CDC).
(Photo: Nanfang Daily)
Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC), commonly known as pink eye, is a highly contagious eye disease mainly caused by enterovirus 70 and coxsackie A24 variant.
With a short incubation period of 18 to 48 hours, the disease affects one eye first and then spreads to the other. It is characterized by redness in the affected eye, accompanied by the feeling of a foreign body in the eye, stabbing pain, swelling of the conjunctiva, sensitivity to light, and increased discharge. The natural course of the pink eye lasts 7 to 10 days.
Pink eye is transmitted from an infected person to others through:
● Exposure to the discharge of a patient’s affected eye or upper respiratory tract.
● Close contact, such as shaking hands and hugging.
● Touching a contaminated object or surface, such as towels, clothes, basins, door knobs, bus handles, or sharing a swimming pool with an infected person.
How to prevent a pink eye outbreak on campus?
Guangdong CDC suggests that childcare centers and schools should check if students have signs of pink eye before entering the campus, and those with symptoms should stay home before recovery. If symptoms occur during school, it’s advised to report to the school doctor immediately, suspend group activities and contact with others, seek medical attention in time if the symptoms are severe.
If there are cluster infections inside the campus, the institutions should report to the local CDC immediately, ask the infected students to avoid contact with others and conduct quarantine for no less than seven days until symptoms disappear. Meanwhile, the institutions should keep the campus clean and sanitized every day.
In addition, students are instructed to wash their hands often and avoid rubbing their eyes and sharing personal items with others, such as towels and basins. Schools should also disinfect public items on the campus regularly or expose them to the sunlight to kill the germs.
To avoid pink eye at home, keep your house ventilated and clean. If someone you live with is infected, ensure the person is isolated and disinfect the objects touched by the patient. The patient should also mind personal hygiene and avoid sharing towels, basins, pillows, eye drops, or glasses with other family members.
Guangdong CDC also suggests that if you have discomfort in your eyes, do not go to public places, such as swimming pools and bathhouses, and avoid contact with your family members.
Author | Teria Wang (intern), Hannah
Editor | Wing, Steven, Will, Jerry
