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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (July 26) confirmed an imported case of leptospirosis (an infectious disease caused by bacteria found in the waste of infected animals) involving a 25-year-old man.
A CHP spokesman said the patient developed fever, vomiting, headache and muscle pain on June 27. He was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital on July 8 and discharged on July 13. Laboratory tests on his blood sample yielded positive results for leptospirosis today.
Investigations revealed that the man had travelled with a friend to Malaysia from June 17 to 21. His friend did not show any symptom of leptospirosis.
This is the second leptospirosis case reported in Hong Kong this year and is classified as an imported one.
There were one local case in 2001, two local cases in 2002, one imported case in 2003, one imported and five local cases in 2004, three imported and four local cases in 2005 and two imported and one unclassified cases in 2006.
The spokesman said leptospirosis was a zoonotic (animal) disease caused by the bacteria, leptospira, which can be found in some animals including rodents, cattle, pigs, horses and dogs.
Most human infections occur through contact with urine excreted by infected mammals primarily through skin abrasions, open wounds or mucous membranes, and occasionally through ingestion or inhalation.
The disease is normally not transmissible among human, and the incubation period is usually between five to 14 days.
The spokesman said people infected with leptospirosis commonly presented with a flu-like illness with high fever, headache, muscle pains, red eye, sore throat and rash. In some cases, the disease can cause anemia (a kind of blood disease) and affect the liver, kidneys, lungs, and other internal organs. The disease can be treated effectively with antibiotics.
"Overseas outbreaks of leptospirosis are usually related to occupational or recreational water exposures, such as water contaminated with urine of infected animals," the spokesman said.
He said that the risk of infection can be minimised by covering open wounds properly and avoiding contact with urine of live mammals and objects contaminated by them as well as polluted water.
Ends/Thursday, July 26, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:06
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