Nearly 90,000 hospitalized during three days of Lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam   A victim of an accident is seen being taken to hospital in the south-central province of Quang Ngai in this file photo. Tuoi Tre Nearly 90,000 people were admitted to the emergency rooms of hospitals across Vietnam within three days of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Ministry of Health said this week. A brief report by the ministry showed that about 90,000 people were hospitalized from February 7 to 9, local newswire VnExpress reported on Wednesday. Vietnam’s Lunar New Year officially began on February 8 but festive preparations had started one week before and the celebratory atmosphere will linger for another week after that date. The combined number of deaths and fatality prognosis cases was 88, a one percent drop, while the number of people under emergency care rose 113 percent against the previous year. Over 17,000 people fell victim to traffic accidents nationwide in the period, the newswire quoted the ministry as saying. Eleven percent of the victims suffered brain injury, the ministry said. Some 2,000 people were admitted to infirmaries in the country due to physical confrontations, an 83 percent year on year decline. Ten people died in the conflicts, six cases more than last year, according to the Ministry of Health. It added that 2,000 cases of food poisoning were recorded during the three days, the peak of the Lunar New Year holiday.  The National Traffic Safety Committee said in a recent report that over 64 people died in traffic accidents that happened across Vietnam between February 7 and 9. On February 7 alone, which was Lunar New Year’s Eve, 23 people died in 34 traffic accidents that also wounded 30 pedestrians. One day later, 32 traffic accidents claimed the lives of 21 people and left 30 others injured. Thirty-eight crashes happened on Tuesday, killing 20 people and causing 38 others to sustain injuries. TUOI TRE NEWS