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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (April 9) investigating a case of Legionnaires' disease (LD) involving a 70-year-old man.
The male patient, with an underlying medical condition and living in Kwun Tong, attended the Accident and Emergency Department of United Christian Hospital on March 26 for shortness of breath and was admitted on the same day. The clinical diagnosis was pneumonia. He was discharged on April 5.
Laboratory testing on the patient's blood samples revealed that he was infected with Legionella bacteria.
The patient has no recent travel history and his family contacts are asymptomatic.
Investigations by the CHP are proceeding.
This is the fourth LD case reported to the CHP this year. Twenty-eight cases were filed in 2012, 17 in 2011 and 20 in 2010.
The public may visit the CHP website (www.chp.gov.hk) for more information on LD and corresponding preventive advice.
Ends/Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:08
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