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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 23) investigating a fatal case of invasive pneumococcal infection, caused by a type of bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), affecting a 3-year-old girl who lived in Dongguan of Guangdong Province.
The patient with good past health came to Hong Kong for medical consultation. She presented with fever and cough on May 17. As her condition deteriorated with shortness of breath, the girl then attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) on May 21 and was subsequently admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of PWH, where she passed away on the same day.
Her blood specimen tested positive for pneumococcus by PWH.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl was born in the Mainland and had not been immunised with Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).
The CHP will notify the Mainland health authority of the case for follow-up investigation.
"Parents should seek medical consultation immediately if their children develop symptoms of respiratory tract infection, such as fever and cough, even if their children have been immunised with PCV," a spokesman for the CHP remarked.
"Pneumococci are commonly found in the nose and throat of healthy people, particularly in children. They mainly spread from one person to another through coughing, sneezing or direct close contact. They can also spread via contact with materials soiled with sputum or nasal discharges of the infected," the spokesman explained.
To prevent pneumococcal infection, the CHP appealed to members of the public to take heed of the following advice:
* Keep hands clean and wash them properly; alcohol-based handrub is also effective when hands are not visibly soiled;
* Wash hands with liquid soap promptly when they are soiled by nasal discharges or sputum, for example, after sneezing or coughing;
* Cover the nose and mouth with tissue paper while sneezing or coughing;
* Always wrap nasal and mouth discharges with tissue paper. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly in a lidded rubbish bin;
* Wear a mask when symptoms of respiratory tract infection develop;
* Do not share utensils and wash them thoroughly after use;
* Maintain good ventilation in indoor areas; and
* Avoid attending crowded and poorly ventilated public places if feeling unwell.
Members of the public can visit the CHP's website, www.chp.gov.hk, for general information about the infection.
Ends/Friday, May 23, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:41
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