The unidentified illness reported at a Hong Kong hospital is
likely to be the result of a viral, not bacterial, infection.
Alex Chan Kwok-hing, chief of pediatric services at Caritas
Medical Center, where the infections surfaced, made the statement
yesterday at a special meeting convened by the health services
panel at the Legislative
Council.
The total number of cases increased to 31 yesterday after one
more patient showed signs of fever and respiratory tract
infection.
Four children are still down with fever, said a hospital
authority spokesman.
"Patients have recovered quickly from the infection and symptoms
of fever subsided within seven days, suggesting that it is probably
of a viral nature," Chan told the Legislative Council.
He said all the children who had contracted the disease had been
quarantined, as it was unclear whether they could spread the
infection.
"Most of the patients are orphans, or children with severe
learning and physical disabilities, and are prone to illnesses. On
average, we have up to two cases of fever and pneumonia per day in
the unit, with an annual death rate of 5-10 per cent," he said.
Culture and virus tests are being conducted on the infected
children at the hospital, and results are expected between the end
of this week and early next week.
According to health officials, the unidentified illness is
unrelated to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) or the H5N1
strain of avian flu.
Responding to public concern over the outbreak, health officials
at the meeting said monitoring of new and infectious diseases has
intensified, and the administration has learned from the
incident.
They added that if the seriousness of the disease were
foreseeable, they would have activated a green code, the lowest in
a three-phase warning system on hospital infections, earlier.
But legislators including Albert Cheng King-hon expressed
disappointment at the government's lack of foresight, adding that
it had still not learned a lesson from the SARS outbreak.
The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau will submit reports to the
Legislative Council on the progress of isolation wards at
hospitals, guidelines for medical institutions to deal with new
outbreaks, and review the green code alert in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, the Education and Manpower Bureau yesterday reminded
schools and parents to take precautionary measures against the
spread of seasonal influenza in the wake of the mysterious
outbreak.
Parents should take children's body temperatures before sending
them to school, while schools should check students' temperature
record sheets and make random spot checks, said a spokesman for the
bureau.
The bureau also urged schools to follow the Health Advice on the
Prevention of Influenza issued by the Department of Health.
Students should avoid contact with live birds or poultry; cover
their nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing; keep their hands
clean and wash their hands properly; and avoid going to school and
consult their doctor promptly if they develop respiratory symptoms,
the spokesman added.
If there is an unusual pattern of illness or sick leave among
students, schools should notify the relevant District School
Development section of the bureau and the Central Notification
Office for Infectious Diseases of the Department of Health by phone
(2477 2772), said the bureau.
(China Daily November 18, 2004)