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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following update today (August 30) regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) carriers in a medical ward:
In accordance with the prevailing infection control guidelines, contact tracing has been performed. Six more male patients (aged 53 to 96) were confirmed as having VRE today. They are VRE carriers without clinical symptoms. The patients concerned are still hospitalised and are now under medical surveillance and isolation with stable condition.
The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) for necessary follow-up.
The QEH Infection Control Team, the departments concerned and experts of the CHP had met and decided to adopt the following enhanced infection control measures:
1. Strongly encouraging patients to perform hand hygiene;
2. Enhancing hand hygiene of staff;
3. Applying stringent contact precautions, including dedicated use of clinical items to VRE carriers;
4. Enhancing environmental and equipment decontamination; and
5. Following an active surveillance culture for in-patients.
The QEH Infection Control Team will continue to closely monitor the situation of the ward.
Ends/Friday, August 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:03
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