Posted on 11/16/2004 4:31:29 AM PST by Mother Abigail
News-Medical.Net
Hong Kong hospital activates infectious disease procedures
Posted By: News-Medical in Disease/Infection
Published: Tuesday, 16-Nov-2004
The Caritas Medical Centre situated in Shamshuipo,
Hong Kong has activated infectious disease procedures following the admission of four more children with respiratory illness symptoms. This brings the total number of cases at the hospital to 28.
The Hospital Authority Chief Executive Dr William Ho said a series of new measures will be taken at the hospital immediately.
They include:
refusing any new child patients and transferring new cases to Princess Margaret Hospital; transferring infected patients to an isolation ward; disinfecting the premises thoroughly; and, setting up an enquiry hotline (3408 7100).
Among the 28 infected patients, 11 still have fever and one has been admitted to intensive care in serious condition.
Initial investigations have ruled out SARS or common influenza, but further tests are needed to establish the source and type of infection.
The hospital has agreed to step up its co-operation with the authority and the centre. When more than three children in the same ward develop symptoms, the hospital will report the case to the centre immediately.
FYI
From my totally unscientific perspective:
We spent about 8 weeks in China and Hong Kong while my husband was on a work assignment in Guanzghou. I'm amazed there aren't more diseases of "unknown" origin in that part of the world.
The marketplaces are slaughterhouses with all sorts of animals being kept in close quarters and then slaughtered on the spot for the customer (dogs, cats, snakes, rats, chickens, ducks, goats, frogs, bugs, and just about anything else you could imagine). Not to mentioned body parts of endangered species being sold in the market place.
I insisted on "hand washing" after putting on, or taking off our shoes, because you were constantly walking through some remains of an animal that had been slaughtered in the market or in front of a restaurant (you pick your meal out of a cage, they slaughter it on the spot...definitely fresh food, LOL).
Plus there was a lot of public "spitting" going on. It seemed to be culturally acceptable, as people were always spitting on the sidewalk.
IMHO, it's amazing that more diseases don't crop up in that part of the world.
You forgot to mention that toddlers have a "slit" in their pants to facilitate public defecation.
Yeah, forgot that one.
Also forgot to mention we never encountered a toilet except in our hotel room (5 star hotel and restrooms in the lobby didn't even have toilets). And only encountered toilet paper in a few upper scale hotels or restaurants, on occasion were offered tp (at a price) before going into a restroom.
Let's just say it was easier for a man. If you were a woman, you had to get good at squatting over trenches or holes, the occasional one had water running through to flush out the waste, but many did not.
Holes are common in the mideast (not Israel of course) too. I never tried to use a non-hotel toilet - but I'd expect that the ones in the tourist-only stores (you know, where you can get nice jade carvings for up to ~800,000 won (!)) have clean toilets reserved for tourists.
Thank you.
Of course, refusing to admit them to the hospital is a good
cure. (not funny).
I don't like strange new diseases.
Thank you for the update.
Thanks for the ping, MA--hope all is well.
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