Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

The Centre for Health Protection is investigating the case of a two-year-old boy who has become infected with avian flu.
The serious response level under the Government's Preparedness Plan for an influenza pandemic has been activated, and the Hospital Authority has activated the Serious Response Level in public hospitals.

The infected child developed fever and runny nose 10 days ago in Guangdong province.

He came to Hong Kong last Saturday and sought medical attention from a private clinic in Mong Kok.

He subsequently developed a fever and convulsions and was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of Caritas Medical Centre on Monday, where he was admitted with suspected encephalitis.

Tests later showed he has H5 Influenza A.

He is now in stable condition.
http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20 ... 844812.htm

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer


Jun 1, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – Hong Kong health officials raised the pandemic influenza response level from alert to serious today after one of the local hospitals confirmed an H5 infection in a boy from China's Guandong province.

In a statement, Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) said the 2-year-old boy came down with a fever and runny nose on May 23 in Guangdong, where his parents and grandmother live. On May 26 he came to Hong Kong and was evaluated at a private clinic in Mong Kok.

Guangdong province, in southern China on the South China Sea coast, is about 90 miles from Hong Kong.

The boy had febrile convulsions and on May 28 was taken to the emergency department at Caritas Medical Centre, which admitted him for suspected encephalitis. A CHP spokesman said the boy's respiratory samples tested positive for H5 influenza and that more tests are underway to further characterize the virus, according to the CHP statement.

The boy is in stable condition, and investigators are exploring how he might have been exposed to the virus. The CHP said the patient's household contacts are asymptomatic.

The CHP is in close contact with mainland and hospital authorities to monitor the situation, according to the statement.

Health officials have launched a phone hotline to field questions from the public and are advising the public to follow good general health habits, maintain good hygiene, and avoid direct contact with poultry and birds.

In a separate statement, the CHP said that in keeping with the increased alert level, the Hospital Authority has activated its serious response level for public hospitals. The upgraded response level means stricter infection control measures will be enforced in the facilities, and no visitors will be allowed in isolation units unless on compassionate grounds.

The CHP said all acute hospitals will scale back visiting limits to 2 hours a day and 2 people per visit. Convalescent facilities will limit visiting hours to 4 hours per day. At the serious alert level, volunteer services are suspended at hospitals, and hospital and clinic visitors who have respiratory symptoms are advised to wear surgical masks and observe good hand hygiene before entering patient areas.

In December 2011 Hong Kong raised its avian influenza response level from alert to serious after three birds, including a dead chicken from a marketplace, tested positive for H5N1. The virus in the chicken was detected during routine surveillance; the other two findings were in wild birds.

In Hong Kong, the serious response level covers two scenarios: a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the environment or among poultry, and a human case with no evidence of human-to-human transmission.

The first known outbreak of H5N1 in humans occurred n Hong Kong in 1997, when the disease struck 18 people, killing 6 of them.

Hong Kong's last human H5N1 case was confirmed in November 2010, according to World Health Organization (WHO) records. The patient was a 59-year-old woman who got sick after traveling to the mainland. Hong Kong has recorded 21 human cases, including the 1997 ones and two that were reported in 2003.

See also:

Jun 1 CHP H5 infection announcement

Jun 1 CHP Hospital Authority statement

Dec 20, 2011, CIDRAP News scan

Nov 19, 2010, WHO statement

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/conten ... ng-br.html

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

Serious Response Level activated in public hospitals
****************************************************
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesman announced today (June 2) the activation of Serious Response Level in public hospitals to tie in with the Government's raising the response level for avian influenza from "Alert" to "Serious".

The HA spokesman said hospital staff at Accident & Emergency Departments and general outpatient clinics was reminded to be vigilant to patients. Triage assessment and appropriate segregation at waiting areas would be arranged.

Under the Serious Response Level, more stringent infection control measures will be enforced in public hospitals, which include no visiting at isolation wards unless on compassionate ground. For all acute hospitals, visiting hours would be not more than 2 hours per day and not more than 2 visitors per visit, and not more than 4 hours per day for all convalescent hospitals. Volunteering service in hospitals would be suspended under "Serious" Level. Visitors to public hospitals and clinics are advised to put on surgical masks if they have respiratory infection symptoms and perform hand hygiene before and after visiting patient areas.

According to the spokesman, HA would continue to work closely with Centre for Health Protection in monitoring the latest situation and keep the general public as well as health care workers updated of the development on a regular basis.


Ends/Saturday, June 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 00:39

NNNN

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2012 ... 020015.htm

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

Published Date: 2012-06-01 23:05:05
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, human (52): China (HK ex GD)
Archive Number: 20120601.1153732

AVIAN INFLUENZA, HUMAN (52): CHINA (HONG KONG ex GUANGDONG)
***********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 1 Jun 2012
Source: Government of Hong Kong [edited]
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2012 ... 010683.htm

The serious response level under the Government's Preparedness Plan for influenza pandemic was activated today (1 Jun [2012]) as the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) investigated a case of influenza A H5 [N1?] infection affecting a 2-year-old boy.

The patient developed fever and runny nose on 23 May [2012] in Guangdong province. He came to Hong Kong on 26 May and sought medical attention from a private medical clinic in Mong Kok. Subsequently, he developed febrile convulsion and was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of Caritas Medical Centre on 28 May. He was admitted for suspected encephalitis. He is now in stable condition.

A spokesman for the CHP said that the nasopharyngeal aspirate taken from the boy tested positive for Influenza A (H5). Further studies on the virus were in progress.

Investigation revealed that the patient lived in Guangdong province with his parents and maternal grandmother. His exposure history during incubation period is pending.

His home contacts were asymptomatic.

"The CHP is also closely liaising with the Mainland authorities and the Hospital Authority to monitor the situation," the spokesman said.

He advised members of the public that the best way to combat influenza infection was to build up body resistance by having a proper diet with adequate exercise and rest. "Good ventilation should be maintained to avoid the spread of respiratory tract infection. Members of the public should seek medical consultation promptly if they develop influenza-like illness. Members of the public should also avoid direct contact with poultry and birds, and if contacts have been made, they should wash hands thoroughly with soap and water," the spokesman said.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[The final typing of the virus is awaited, but presumably the infection is due to influenza A H5N1. The infection was acquired in Guangdong province, but details of the circumstances there, including possible contact with poultry or wild birds, are awaited. Avian influenza virus A H5N1 has been found several times in wild birds in China and poultry and has been responsible for human fatalities this year as well. A published article cited in ProMED-mail archive stated, "Since 2003 to 06 Jan 2012, the number of laboratory confirmed human cases of infection with avian influenza in China was 41 and 27 were fatal. However, the official estimate of the H5N1 case-fatality rate has been described by some as an over estimation since there may be numerous undetected asymptomatic/mild cases of H5N1 infection." (Reference cited: Xiang Huo, Rongqiang Zu, Xian Qi, Yuanfang Qin, Liang Li, Fenyang Tang, Zhibin Hu and Fengcai Zhu. Seroprevalence of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus among poultry workers in Jiangsu Province, China: an observational study. BMC Infectious Diseases 2012, 12:93 doi:10.1186/1471-2334-12-93 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/12/93/abstract). - Mod.TY]


See Also

Avian influenza (33): China (HK) H5, crested myna 20120502.1120877
Avian influenza (32): China (NX) H5N1, OIE 20120418.1105794
Avian influenza (26): China (HK) H5, robin, crow 20120323.1077949
Avian influenza (23): China (HK) H5N1, gull, peregrine falcon, conf. 20120315.1071313
Avian influenza (07): China (HK) H5N1, gull, peregrine falcon 20120203.1031448
Avian influenza (06): China (HK) H5N1, gull, peregrine falcon 20120202.1029495
Avian influenza: China (HK) H5N1, gull 20120104.0021]
.................................................dk/ty/dk

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

SFH on avian influenza
**********************
Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, at a media session after the meeting of the Steering Committee on Avian Influenza this morning (June 2):

Reporter: (On the condition of the patient.)

Secretary for Food and Health: The condition of the patient is not serious. For our contingency plan, whenever there is a local case of avian influenza in Hong Kong, we need to raise our alert to the serious level. That is the reason why I have just announced all those measures that we had to take, including raising the alert in the public hospitals; checking the imports of live chickens; inspecting our farms and birds and so on. We think it is an important measure to take for particularly Hong Kong, because we had experiences of outbreaks of avian influenza in Hong Kong. For this particular case, so far the chance of it being spread to other humans is relatively low. But we still need to go through the whole process of analysing the origin and channel of the infection and have to study the virology of the virus.

Reporter: (On temperature and health check at the border.)

Secretary for Food and Health: The temperature check is only able to detect people with high temperature. With anybody who is suppressing their body temperature with medicine, it is always difficult to detect. What is more important for the whole exercise of checking body temperature is to alert our tourists and also our Hong Kong returnees to be aware of their health. In case there are any symptoms or signs, they should seek medical treatment. Everyday, we are able to detect more than 10 to 20 people with high temperature passing through our border. We do not quarantine them or take them to hospitals. We will check their contact history to see whether they have been exposed to poultry or birds and so on; and what type of infection they are likely to have. Many of them follow our advice and go to seek medical treatment.

Reporter: (On banning live poultry imported from the Mainland.)

Secretary for Food and Health: We have done a lot in the last few years in controlling avian influenza in our poultry, including those imported from the Mainland as well as from our local farms. We are also handling our chickens at the retail level with the "no retention overnight" policy. These are effective policies as far as controlling avian influenza in Hong Kong is concerned. But as far as the whole environment is concerned, as you know that this year we have 20 dead wild birds tested positive for carrying the H5N1 virus. It means that if the virus is always in existence in our natural environment, although they might not be affecting our poultry, might not be affecting our humans, but they are there. In all aspects, we have to be very cautious all the time to ensure that all the measures we took are being followed by the respective stakeholders and Government regulators.

Reporter: (On whether there will be an import poultry ban.)

Secretary for Food and Health: I do not see any reason for changing our supply of live poultry at the moment. But we will of course always be vigilant about the situation. If we find anything that would increase the risk of H5N1 infection on humans, we will of course take extra measures.

Reporter: Do Hong Kong people need to be worried about the incident?

Secretary for Food and Health: At the moment, it is an isolated case. We feel that there is no need for panic among Hong Kong citizens. We have measures to tackle all types of infectious diseases, including controlling avian influenza through various means such as our control at poultry farms and retail level and so on. We also have very good diagnostic tools within the health care system. All the hospitals are equipped to test influenza virus by a fast test and are able to alert within a few hours. All in all, the only message I like to advise the public is to always maintain a good level of personal and environmental hygiene. When you visit other places outside Hong Kong, be careful of those wet markets and places where there might have poultry. It is always more risky when you get into a large concentration of animals if you do not know their health status.

Reporter: (On transmission mode of the virus.)

Secretary for Food and Health: For all experiences, the most common course of transmission is from infected poultry to human. Infected poultry means that the chicken is usually still alive. It is very rare that dead chicken or chilled or frozen chicken would transmit the virus to humans.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript)


Ends/Saturday, June 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:53

NNNN

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2012 ... 020344.htm

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

Steering Committee on Avian Influenza updates avian flu precautionary measures (with photo)
********************************************************
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, this morning (June 2) convened an inter-departmental meeting on avian influenza following the confirmation of a case of Influenza A H5 infection by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) yesterday (June 1) . The meeting reviewed the latest situation and preventive measures being taken by various parties against avian flu.

The inter-departmental meeting was attended by representatives from the Department of Health (DH), the Hospital Authority (HA), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).

Dr Chow noted that the Government has activated the Serious Response Level under the Government's Preparedness Plan for influenza pandemic. To prevent the spread of the virus, the inter-departmental group had decided to take a series of actions according to the contingency plan for the Serious Response Level.

Accordingly, the CHP under DH has stepped up surveillance and testing. A telephone hotline 2125 1111 has also been set up to answer public enquiries. The CHP will write to all medical practitioners alerting them of the development and has liaised closely with HA to step up surveillance. The department will also send letters to institutions, elderly homes and schools to remind them to be vigilant. The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health of China as well as the inspection and quarantine authorities have been informed of the case.

For public hospitals, the HA had activated the Serious Response Level to implement a series of measures to enhance surveillance and infection control. Hospital staff at Accident and Emergency Departments and general outpatient clinics will be vigilant to patients. Triage assessment and appropriate segregation at waiting areas would be arranged according to stipulated clinical guidelines.

Under the Serious Response Level, more stringent infection control measures will be enforced in public hospitals, which include no visiting at isolation wards unless on compassionate ground. For all acute hospitals, visiting hours would be not more than 2 hours per day and not more than 2 visitors per visit, and not more than 4 hours per day for all convalescent hospitals. Volunteering service in hospitals would be suspended under "Serious" Level. Visitors to public hospitals and clinics are advised to put on surgical masks if they have respiratory infection symptoms and perform hand hygiene before and after visiting patient areas.

As the patient came from Guangdong province, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) under the FEHD has liaised with their Mainland counterparts for further actions. Once the CHP has obtained further information on the source of infection, CFS will announce the area within a radius of 13 kilometres of the infected area to be the "import control zone" for temporary suspension of importing live poultry and poultry products to Hong Kong for 21 days. Initially, no registered farm supplying live poultry to Hong Kong is found within the radius of 13 kilometres of the residential place of the patient. The CFS will continue their surveillance on imported live poultry at the import level.

The FEHD will adopt a series of corresponding measures including stepping up inspection at public market stalls and fresh provisions shops, enhancing surveillance and random checking of any incompliance with the prohibition against overnight stocking of live poultry at the retail level and stepping up cleansing and disinfection work at public markets.

In addition, the AFCD will complete the inspection of all 30 local chicken farms within these two days to confirm the health condition of chickens at local farms and ensure that all biosecurity and health measures are followed strictly. Live chickens supply from local farms will not be affected by this incident. The department will continue its inspection of poultry wholesale market, the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden and the pet bird shops to remind traders to stringently implement biosecurity measures. The department will continue its wild bird monitoring and surveillance and remind poultry farmers, wholesalers, pet bird shop owners, Mai Po Nature Reserve and Hong Kong Wetland Park, etc. to remain vigilant and strengthen precautionary measures against avian influenza.

The Government will step up publicity efforts and increase the broadcast of Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) on avian influenza prevention on television and radio to further advise the public on precautionary measures. In addition, the Education Bureau will issue a letter advising schools to stay alert in preventing the spread of avian influenza on school premises.


Ends/Saturday, June 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 13:59

NNNN

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2012 ... 020312.htm

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

Updates on H5 case
******************
Latest laboratory results received by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 2) confirmed that the two-year-old boy was infected with Influenza A (H5N1).

The boy is put under intensive care treatment in Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and is now in serious condition. Latest radiological imaging studies showed obstructive hydrocephalus. Investigation is underway for the underlying cause.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the boy had visited a wet market with live poultry in Guangzhou in mid-May.

"The boy's parents are all along asymptomatic, which means the chance of a human-to-human transmission is slim," a CHP spokesman said.

The parents are being quarantined at PMH and nasopharyngeal aspirates taken from them were tested negative. Laboratory tests of two health care workers of the private clinic and another patient who attended the same clinic were also tested negative for Influenza A (H5).

As at 4pm today, a total of six public enquiries have been received on the DH hotline (2125 1111).

Investigation continues.


Ends/Saturday, June 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:38

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2012 ... 020403.htm

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

http://pandemicinformationnews.blogspot.com/

http://china.rednet.cn/c/2012/06/02/2634593.htm

Guangzhou, Xinhua, June 2 (Reporter Suitability Assessment), according to the news of Hong Kong, a two-year-old boy was infected with avian influenza after returning from Guangdong.

At 17:30 on the 2nd, He Jianfeng, director of the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Epidemiology Institute told Xinhua, is currently being carried out in accordance with the avian flu in Guangdong plans epidemiological investigation, the investigation is ongoing.

He Jianfeng, the Guangdong received the notification of the Department of Health in the 1st, 2-year-old boy who lives in the Haizhu District, Guangzhou, 23 Day onset to return to Hong Kong, 26, was hospitalized on the 28th, the inspection found that the influenza A (H5)-positive.

Receiving the information, and the boy's family, more communication, the boy's parents are in Hong Kong, his father was a Hong Kong people, my mother is from Anhui in Guangdong before the onset of one week, my mother had children been to the vegetable market of Haizhu District, South Park Avenue, Hong Kong, tells us that the boys' mother bought a ducks in the market, on-site slaughter, had a history of exposure of birds about 17 to 19 20 to 22, she returned to Anhui Office of the immigration card, 23 in Guangdong, the child developed fever, to the Guangzhou Children's Hospital to see a doctor. boy back to Hong Kong on the 26th, children seizures situation, the first suspicions of brain inflammation, the Hong Kong side after sampling found H5 positive. "he said.

Jianfeng said: "after receiving the information, we promptly of avian flu in Guangdong plan to carry out the epidemiological survey of the province, city, district, and separately to the patient's family, been to the market and surrounding markets, been to the hospital to carry out the popular disease investigation, analysis of the recent Avian Influenza Surveillance in Guangdong, and found no cases of avian influenza H5 positive results, unexplained pneumonia monitoring have not received a report at present. "

As of press interviews, Jianfeng said in accordance with the plan to carry out related work. Is now investigating the possible close contacts, and their health status monitoring, current monitoring is not done, as of 17:30 found no abnormal symptoms.

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

GUANGZHOU, June 2 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong province is on high alert after a Hong Kong hospital confirmed that it has admitted a two-year-old boy infected with the H5 strain of avian influenza.

The boy was admitted to a Hong Kong hospital on May 28 with convulsions after arriving from Guangdong's capital city of Guangzhou. He tested positive for the H5 strain.

The boy was confirmed to have been in contact with a live duck between May 17 and 19 at a farmer's market in Guangzhou. However, tests conducted at the market and surrounding markets, as well as a hospital in Zhuangzhou that had admitted the boy, found no signs of a bird flu outbreak, said He Jianfeng, director of the Epidemic Studies Institute of the Guangdong Disease Control Center.

He said the province has launched an avian influenza response plan and is keeping track of the whereabouts of those who were in close contact with the child, as well as monitoring their health.

None of the people in contact with the child had exhibited abnormalities as of 5:30 p.m. Saturday, He said.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/ar ... p?id=74681

_________________
www.twitter.com/hniman

Why no mention of these deaths anywhere. Do we have a h275y 225g strain.


"Influenza has killed 36 people in the last two weeks, more than the total number of deaths in last year's winter flu season, Centre for Health Protection figures show....""


http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/me ... ong&s=News