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In view of a human case of avian influenza H5N1 in Shenzhen, the Hospital Authority started the three-week Enhanced Surveillance Programme on June 15.
Public hospitals should report to the Authority's e-Flu system all patients fulfilling the case definition of having pneumonia (all types) of unidentified etiology and who had travelled in the seven days before the onset of symptoms, to affected areas/countries with confirmed human cases of avian influenza infection in the past six months.
The Hospital Authority today (June 27) received the report of nine cases (five male and four female, aged 1 to 83 years). So far a total of 127 cases (72 male and 55 female, aged two months to 89 years) have been received. These patients have visited Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, Zhejiang and Thailand before the onset of symptoms. The Hospital Authority has reported the cases to the Centre for Health Protection. Public hospitals have been providing rapid tests for these patients.
At 5pm today, none of the cases had tested positive to Influenza A (H5) virus.
Ends/Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:21
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