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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
A spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following announcement today (October 12):
A 63-year-old male patient admitted to the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at QEH earlier due to traffic accident was confirmed to be a Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) carrier on October 7. In accordance with the prevailing infection control guidelines, the hospital has screened patients who had contact with the index patient. Five male patients (aged 46 to 85) were confirmed to be VRE carriers yesterday evening, all without clinical symptoms. Four of the patients are hospitalised at QEH and the other two have been transferred to Kowloon Hospital for further treatment on October 5 and October 9 respectively. All patients are in stable condition, under medical surveillance and isolation.
The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.
The Hospital Infection Control Team, the department concerned and experts of the Centre for Health Protection had a meeting today and the following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted:
1. All VRE carriers are being treated in isolation rooms or cohort according to their clinical symptoms and treatment needs;
2. Visiting is limited to two people per patient during each visiting period; and
3. Stringent contact precautions have been applied, including dedicated use of clinical items for VRE carriers, enhanced hand hygiene and environmental hygiene.
The Hospital Infection Control Team will continue to closely monitor the situation at the ward.
Ends/Friday, October 12, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:54
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