Kwong Wah Hospital announces tuberculosis patient case
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) made the following announcement today (September 28):
KWH was notified by the Department of Health on September 25 that the mother of a 5-month-old baby girl in a Paediatric Ward of KWH was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis previously with medication treatment for more than a month. She had visited her daughter between September 13 and 25 and she was wearing a surgical mask throughout the visits. As a precautionary measure, the baby girl was transferred to the Isolation Ward immediately. The baby girl was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis on September 26 after a series of examinations and tests. She is now under medical treatment with stable condition.
The hospital started investigation immediately in accordance with the prevailing infection control guidelines. Contact tracing has been carried out and the hospital has started contacting the respective patients who have had contact with the mother, which involves 40 patients. A designated clinic will be established to follow up on the patients. KWH has reminded the patients concerned and their families to stay alert for any symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis and advised them to seek medical consultation if symptoms appear. None of the patients or staff members have reported any symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis so far. KWH has established a designated telephone enquiry number (3517 2587) to facilitate enquiry by patients during office hours.
The hospital will continue to closely monitor the health situation of the patients concerned and staff contacts. The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection.
Ends/Thursday, September 28, 2017
Issued at HKT 20:12
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