Latest news with #CentreForHealthProtection
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong student with TB forced into medical isolation after declining treatment
Hong Kong health authorities have issued an isolation order for an 18-year-old student diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and arranged screening for his teachers and classmates after he was discharged from hospital against medical advice earlier. Advertisement The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday it had been following up on the case of male secondary school student who was admitted to hospital on May 14 due to shortness of breath, persistent cough, blood in his sputum, fever and weight loss. He was confirmed to have TB. Authorities said the patient, who had not received the Bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine as recommended by the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, was discharged against medical advice on May 25. He was referred to the Chest Clinic for follow-up as he needed to continue directly observed treatment, but he received insufficient treatment and did not attend the other appointments as scheduled. Despite repeated reminders from clinic medical staff, he finally received a short course of anti-TB treatment. Undergoing only brief treatment can worsen the infection and increase the risk of transmission, posing a public health threat, according to authorities. Treating the contagious disease usually takes at least six months, according to the Department of Health. Advertisement 'Given the above, the [centre] issued an isolation order today [Friday] and the patient was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital for isolation and treatment,' it said.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
3 gastroenteritis cases at Hong Kong hospital unrelated, investigation finds
A trio of suspected gastroenteritis cases at a Hong Kong hospital earlier this year, in which the death of a young doctor prompted concerns of an outbreak of a highly toxic strain of E coli, were unrelated, health authorities have found. The Centre for Health Protection also said in revealing the outcome of its investigation on Friday that the young oncologist who died had traces of a certain kind of rotavirus, rather than the previously thought Shiga toxin-producing E coli (STEC), but that his cause of death was 'uncertain'. An expert from the investigating team suggested it was the first time that a particular strain of the rotavirus had been detected in Hong Kong, but there was no evidence of a community outbreak. The death of the young doctor at Princess Margaret Hospital in February prompted concerns that an outbreak of the toxic strain had emerged after it was found in the stool sample of one of the doctors who suffered milder symptoms. 'Based on the available information, the [centre] confirmed that there was no STEC outbreak in the oncology department of [the hospital] and that there was no linkage between the illnesses of the three doctors,' it said. The investigation, which included an expert team from the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), found that a stool sample of the doctor who was suspected of having a STEC infection did not grow 'viable' bacteria of the infectious strain.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Covid levels ease from recent peak, but set to persist in coming months
Covid-19 activity in Hong Kong is starting to show signs of decline from a recent peak, but levels are expected to remain high for the next month or two. The Centre for Health Protection on Thursday also urged high-risk groups to receive booster vaccinations to reduce the chances of serious complications or even death. According to the centre, the latest data as of May 24 shows that both the viral load of Covid from sewage surveillance and the test positivity rate of respiratory samples have begun to decline in the past week. The rate of positive tests fell from 13.8 per cent in the week beginning on May 11 to 11.12 per cent in the following week. As for sewage surveillance, the per capita Covid viral load decreased from 770,000 to 500,000 copies per litre over the same period. 'Besides, the consultation rate of Covid-19 cases at general outpatient clinics and sentinel private medical practitioner clinics also dropped,' a spokesman for the centre added. Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin, controller of the centre, explained that the virus had transitioned into an endemic disease with cyclical patterns.
Travel Daily News
7 days ago
- Travel Daily News
PETA: Tourists at risk of contracting MERS from cruel camel rides
PETA issues urgent travel advisory urging tourists to avoid camel contact in the Middle East amid MERS outbreak and documented animal cruelty. HONG KONG – Amid an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia, PETA is issuing an urgent travel advisory warning visitors to the region to avoid all contact with camels, including those who are forced to give rides to humans at tourist sites – for both their own safety and the animals' well-being. The move follows a warning from Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection that any camel-related activities in the Middle East – including riding them or consuming their flesh or milk – risks transmitting the potentially fatal disease, as camels are 'known reservoirs' of the virus. In addition to the danger posed to humans, PETA investigations have documented that camels used for rides and photo ops at tourist sites like the pyramids of Giza are violently and routinely beaten by their handlers. At Egypt's notorious Birqash Camel Market, a dead camel was tied by their feet to a truck and dragged through the streets and another was found dead in the middle of a road with their throat slashed open. When camels were no longer considered useful, they were often hauled to a slaughterhouse, where their throats were slit while they were still conscious. 'Cruelty and contagions run rampant at these shameful attractions, where camels are mercilessly beaten, worked until they drop, and violently killed in filthy slaughterhouses,' says PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker. 'PETA's urgent travel advisory is meant to protect both tourists and the camels who are exploited for rides from suffering and dying prematurely.' PETA points out that in addition to MERS, the majority of diseases that have caused epidemics or pandemics in recent years originated in animals before being transmitted to humans – including AIDS, avian flu, swine flu, SARS, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that 'animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way'– opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Latest Covid variant: JN.1 symptoms, transmissibility; all about new strain
A new variant of Covid-19 has been dominant across several parts of the world — especially Southeast Asia. In Hong Kong, the infection rate has risen from 1.7 per cent in mid-March to 11.4 per cent according to figures from the Centre for Health Protection. In Singapore, cases jumped by 28 per cent in a week, to 14,200 cases from April 27 to May 3, compared to 11,100 cases in the previous week. The rising rate of diagnoses has risen concerns in some parts of Asia and India, with residents exercising more caution to stay safe from the virus. Here is everything you need to know about the newest variant JN.1: What is the new variant? JN.1, a strain of the Omicron variant (also known as the Pirola strain), was first identified in late 2023. It gained attention because of its rapid spread and high number of mutations, particularly in the spike protein. Is it more transmissible? The short answer: yes. The new Covid variant is more transmissible than the others because it contains more than 30 mutations in just the spike protein. This, however, does not mean that the impact of contracting this variant is more severe. JN.1 symptoms Symptoms of this strain are relatively similar to that of the Omicron one: Will my vaccine still work? Yes, your vaccines will still protect you from hospitalisation and extreme symptoms in case you do end up contracting the new strain of the virus.
