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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (August 24) confirmed an imported case of Japanese encephalitis (JE) and reminded people to take preventive measures against mosquito-transmitted diseases.
The case involved a 48-year-old man who lived in Chongqing in the Mainland. He developed fever and confusion in Chongqing on August 2. He arrived in Hong Kong on August 8 and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of North District Hospital on the same day.
Results of laboratory analysis on his blood specimen available today showed that it tested positive for JE, a viral disease transmitted by the bite of infective mosquitoes. The patient passed away on August 16.
This is the second JE case reported to the CHP this year. One case was reported in 2011. No cases were reported from 2008 to 2010.
The CHP 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 a room is not air-conditioned.
People travelling to areas where JE is endemic 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 the body; 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 in areas, particularly in rural areas, that bear higher risks.
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/Friday, August 24, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:28
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