The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     The spokesperson for Kowloon West Cluster made the following announcement today (August 28) on two clusters of Candida auris carrier cases:     
 
     According to contact tracing results of the cluster of Candida auris carrier cases in Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) announced earlier, one more 71-year-old female patient who had stayed in a Medicine and Geriatrics ward has been confirmed as a Candida auris carrier while not having signs of infection. The patient is now under isolation in PMH in serious condition due to her underlying illness.

     Furthermore, a 101-year-old female patient was admitted to a female medical ward of Yan Chai Hospital (YCH) on August 20 and underwent admission screening. Her screening result was positive for Candida auris, but she did not have any signs of infection. The patient passed away on August 22 due to her underlying illnesses.

     Since she had been admitted to different medical wards of the hospital in August, YCH conducted contact tracing for the patient according to the prevailing guidelines. It was confirmed that two more female patients who stayed in another female medical ward were carrying Candida auris without signs of infection. One of them was an old age home resident, aged 93, who had been discharged. The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) and the Community Nursing Services were informed of the case concerned for follow-up action. The other patient, aged 71, passed away yesterday (August 27) due to her underlying illnesses.
      
     In accordance with the prevailing guidelines, the hospitals have continued contact tracing in the wards concerned. The following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted:
 
 1. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned;
 2. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures; and
 3. Application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene for staff and patients.
 
     The hospitals will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patients. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the CHP for necessary follow-up.

Ends/Friday, August 28, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:16

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