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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) urged the public to take preventive measures against mosquito-transmitted diseases following confirmation of a case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) today (July 5) .
A spokesman for the CHP said that a 20-year-old woman developed fever and headache since June 26. She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Tuen Mun Hospital in the evening of July 1 due to fever and confusion. She was diagnosed to have meningoencephalitis and is now in serious condition.
Results of laboratory analysis on her serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples showed that they tested positive for JE, a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infective mosquitoes.
The patient lives in Tin Shui Wai. She recalled history of mosquito bite before symptoms onset. She has no recent travel history. Her home contacts have not shown any symptoms of JE so far and have been put under medical surveillance. Further investigation is in progress.
This is the first JE case reported to the CHP this year. One case was reported in 2011. No cases were reported from 2008 to 2010.
The CHP has conducted home visits and surveys in the neighbourhood of the patient's residence for active case finding and arranging blood tests. Health talks will be held in Tin Shui Community Centre, Tin Shui Wai from July 6 to 8.
The spokesman said JE is transmitted by Culex tritaeniorhynchus (Culicine mosquitoes), which breed mainly in waterlogged fields, marshes, ditches and small stable collections of water around cultivated fields. The mosquito becomes infected after biting pigs and wild birds infected with the virus.
Mild infections with JE may occur without apparent symptoms other than fever with headache. More severe infection is marked by quick onset of headache, high fever, neck stiffness, impaired mental state, coma, tremors, occasional convulsions and paralysis.
To prevent JE, members of the public, in particular those living in rural areas, are reminded to take the following personal protection measures, particularly after dark:
* Wear long-sleeved clothes and trousers;
* Use insect repellent over exposed parts of the body when outdoors; and
* Use mosquito screens or nets when the room is not air-conditioned.
People travelling to endemic areas of JE should take proper precautionary measures, which include the following:
* Avoid outdoor exposure to mosquito bites at dusk and dawn, especially in rural areas;
* Apply effective insect repellents with DEET to exposed parts of their bodies; and
* Consider vaccination that should be completed at least 10 days before departure to endemic areas in Asia or the Western Pacific or staying over one month particularly in rural areas that bear higher risks.
The CHP has set up a hotline (2125 1133), operating till 11pm tonight and from 9am to 6pm starting tomorrow (July 6), for public enquiries. Residents living in Yuen Long District with symptoms of JE are advised to seek medical advice. Details of the preventive measures against JE are available in the CHP's website (www.chp.gov.hk) and the DH's Hong Kong Travel Health Service website (www.travelhealth.gov.hk).
Ends/Thursday, July 5, 2012
Issued at HKT 21:02
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