************************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following update today (September 23) 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 patients (aged 79 to 93, two male and four female) were confirmed as carriers of VRE today but without clinical symptoms. Three patients are still hospitalised and now under medical surveillance and isolation with stable condition, while two were discharged and the other patient died of his underlying illness.
The QEH Infection Control Team, the departments concerned and experts of the Centre for Health Protection have discussed and decided to adopt the following enhanced infection control measures:
1.Strongly encourage patients to perform hand hygiene;
2.Enhanced hand hygiene for staff;
3.Apply stringent contact precautions, including dedicated use of clinical items to VRE carriers;
4.Enhanced environmental and equipment decontamination; and
5.Active surveillance culture for in-patients.
The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up. The QEH Infection Control Team will continue to closely monitor the situation at the ward.
Ends/Monday, September 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:32
NNNN
