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Elderly homes, child care centres and homes for the disabled are reminded to take stringent infection control measures to prevent outbreaks of respiratory tract infection.
A spokesman for the Department of Health (DH) today (October 8) said that there were outbreaks of respiratory tract infection caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in five elderly homes and one child care centre last month.
"RSV is a common cause of respiratory tract infection worldwide. It is spread by direct contact with infectious secretions, or droplets spread indirectly through contaminated hands, eating utensils, or articles freshly soiled by nasal discharge of the infected person.
"The incubation period is one to 10 days, usually five to seven days. Common symptoms include fever, chills, headache and decreased appetite.
"The disease is usually self-limiting in healthy individuals and subsides in two to five days," the spokesman said.
He said that since August the Visiting Health Teams of DH's Elderly Health Service had been visiting all elderly homes to assess their capability to handle infectious disease outbreaks.
The opportunity was taken to remind all elderly homes of necessary hygiene practices and to report all suspected outbreaks to DH.
"The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has, on DH's recommendation, designated an Infection Control Officer (ICO) in elderly homes to be the key person to deal with infection control matters.
"Briefing sessions, starting on September 30, are being conducted for these ICOs to familiarise them with their responsibilities. Training programmes will continue to be provided to ICOs to equip them for these responsibilities," he added.
Comprehensive updated guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases will be distributed to all elderly homes in the coming month.
DH has also put up guidelines on Prevention of Communicable Diseases in child care centres/kindergartens/schools, available at http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/diseases/index.htm.
To prevent contracting the disease, members of the public are advised to take the following measures:
* Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
* Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
* Wash hands when they are contaminated by respiratory secretions, eg, after sneezing;
* Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
* Clean eating and drinking utensils thoroughly after use; and
* Infected persons should avoid contact with children or those with low body resistance.
End/Wednesday, October 8, 2003
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