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Due to its on-going investigation, the Department of Health (DH) confirmed that a total of seven people who had contracted atypical pneumonia recently had stayed in or visited a hotel in Kowloon last month (February).
Speaking at a press conference today (March 19), the Director of Health, Dr Margaret Chan, said the seven persons comprised three visitors from Singapore, two from Canada, one Mainland visitor and a local resident.
DH's epidemiological investigations revealed that the seven visitors stayed on the same floor of the hotel between February 12 and March 2. They developed pneumonia symptoms between February 15 and 27. The local resident, who has been identified as the index patient in the outbreak of Prince of Wales Hospital, had visited his friend staying in the hotel from February 15 to 23. One patient, who became sick one week before staying at the hotel, is believed to be the source of the infection.
Dr Chan stressed that there is no cause for panic among the hotel staff and visitors staying in the hotel as well as residents living in the area as no other new cases have been detected since end of February.
"Investigations showed that the general environmental condition of the hotel is good and that hotel staff had not reported any sickness related to the outbreak.
"The department considered that the source of the virus has now been removed from the hotel. We believe there is no residual risk for residents in the hotel.
"We believe that the transmission of the virus is by close contact and should have been transient. There is no evidence of active disease currently occurring in the hotel," Dr Chan said.
On the request of DH, the hotel management has isolated the whole floor for thorough cleansing and disinfection as precautionary measures.
"The floor will be re-opened upon DH's satisfaction with the process.
"Health advice will be given to the hotel staff and DH will keep close medical surveillance of them," Dr Chan said.
"We are thankful to the management of the hotel for being cooperative and understanding throughout the course of investigation," Dr Chan said.
DH has set up a hotline 2961 8968 to provide health advice on the prevention of upper respiratory track infection. It will be manned by DH staff up to 1 am tomorrow (March 20) and from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Friday and between 9 am to 1 pm on Saturday.
Annex: Pneumonia Cases Related To A Hotel (pdf format)
End/Wednesday, March 19, 2003
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