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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following announcement today (April 3):
Sixteen patients (fourteen male and two female, aged 31 to 89) of a ventilator ward have been confirmed to have Multi-drug Resistant Acinetobacter (MDRA) since February 7, 2014. Two of them are infected cases with one passing away and another one hospitalised. The remaining 14 patients were confirmed to be MDRA carriers without clinical symptoms. Among the 14 cases, seven patients are still hospitalised under medical surveillance and isolation with stable condition. One patient has been transferred to Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital, one has been discharged and five had passed away due to underlying diseases.
Acinetobacter is a bacteria which is commonly found in water and soil. It can also "colonise" or live in a patient without causing infection or symptoms. However, it may sometimes cause disease in patient with weakened immune system.
The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection. The Hospital Infection Control Team, the department concerned and experts of the Centre for Health Protection held a meeting and the following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted in the ventilator ward:
1. Stringent contact precautions have been applied, including dedicated use of clinical items to affected patients and enhanced hand hygiene;
2. Enhance environmental cleansing;
3. Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor disinfection is to be arranged for commonly used equipment;
4. Perform environmental samplings for monitoring;
5. All affected patients are being treated in isolation rooms or cohort according to their clinical symptoms and treatment needs; and
6. Visiting is limited to two people per patient during each visiting period.
The Hospital Infection Control Team will continue to closely monitor the situation of the ward.
Ends/Thursday, April 3, 2014
Issued at HKT 20:40
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