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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 28) investigating a confirmed case of meningococcal infection, a communicable disease transmitted by direct contact with droplets from carriers or infected persons.
The case involves a 69-year-old woman living at an elderly home in Central and Western District. She had underlying illnesses and presented with abdominal pain and distention on March 23 and was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital on March 25. Her current condition is serious.
A blood specimen taken from the patient grew Neisseria meningitidis.
Investigations showed that the patient had no travel history during the incubation period. CHP has distributed chemoprophylaxis to those close contacts in the elderly home.
This is the third confirmed case of meningococcal infection this year. There were respectively two cases in 2010 and 2009.
A spokesman for the CHP said that meningococcal infection is caused by a bacterium known as meningococcus. It is transmitted by direct contact, including droplets from the nose and throat of infected people. The incubation period varies from two to 10 days, commonly three to four days.
The clinical picture may vary. Severe illness may result when the bacterium invades the bloodstream (causing meningococcaemia) or the brain (causing meningitis).
Meningococcaemia is characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense headache, purpura, shock and even death in severe cases. Meningitis is characterised by the sudden onset of intense headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, photophobia and stiff neck. Early cases can be treated effectively with antibiotics.
To prevent meningococcal infection, members of the public are advised to:
* Wash hands frequently, and observe good personal and environmental hygiene practices;
* Avoid crowded places;
* Avoid close contact with patients who have fever or severe headache; and
* Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, and hold the spit with tissue, discard it into a bin with a lid and wash hands immediately.
Members of the public can visit the CHP's website, www.chp.gov.hk, for general information about the infection.
Ends/Monday, March 28, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:33
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