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Legionnaires' Disease Cases Prompt Caution: Proper Water System Maintenance Urged

HK

Legionnaires' Disease Cases Prompt Caution: Proper Water System Maintenance Urged
HK

HK

Legionnaires' Disease Cases Prompt Caution: Proper Water System Maintenance Urged

2024-08-05 19:50 Last Updated At:08-06 00:17

Update on cases of Legionnaires' disease

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (August 5) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

From July 28 to August 3, the CHP recorded one imported LD case and one community-acquired LD case:

Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any.

Furthermore, the CHP is investigating a case of LD in Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong. The male patient, aged 82 with underlying illnesses, was admitted to Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong on July 8 after receiving a surgery at Kwong Wah Hospital on June 27. He presented with lethargy and cough on July 26, and he developed a fever starting July 28. He was transferred to Kwong Wah Hospital for further management on July 30 due to persistent fever and deteriorated condition. His clinical diagnosis was pneumonia and he is currently in stable condition.

His sputum specimen tested positive for Legionella species upon laboratory testing. Initial enquiries revealed that the patient stayed at Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong without any travel history during the incubation period.

"Epidemiological investigations with Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any. Relevant water samples and environmental swabs were collected from potential sources for laboratory testing," a spokesman for the CHP said.

Tracing of contacts including staff and in-patients in the relevant ward is ongoing, and those identified will be put under medical surveillance. The CHP has provided health advice against LD to staff and in-patients, including those with weakened immunity who should use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing. An investigation is ongoing.

As of August 3, 62 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2023 and 2022, there were 121 and 80 cases respectively.

"Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.

Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.

Immunocompromised persons should:

The public should observe the health advice below:

​​​The public may visit the CHP'sLD page, theCode of Practice for Prevention of LDand theHousekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Managementof the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP'srisk-based strategyfor prevention and control of LD.

Source: AI-generated images

Source: AI-generated images

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Julia Leung, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, met the media this evening (April 7). Following are Mr Chan's remarks at the media session:

Reporter: What tools does the Government have to handle the situation of the market and will Hong Kong consider a national team investor equivalent to intervene? Should the markets keep dropping, what is the bottom line for the state of the market before countermeasures will be considered?

Financial Secretary: I think Julia has explained very clearly the situation in the Hong Kong stock market. Basically, the market has been functioning orderly. There are substantial selling but also buying interests. The spread between the two has been very tight, indicating that the buying power remains very strong.

Hong Kong is a free port, and we encourage capital and investors from different parts of the world to take part in our capital market. Over the years, we have been taking a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of our capital market, no matter whether it is improving the listing regime, lowering the transaction costs, expanding the markets, attracting investors and capital from around the world, or offering new products such as the ETF (exchange-traded fund) listed on the Saudi stock exchange (and investing in the Hong Kong stock market). All in all, we will persistently and consistently push forward initiatives on various fronts. With an expanding market and more participants from different parts of the world, the liquidity and resilience of our market will be enhanced. The resilience of our market has been very strong. We do not think the current volatility in the market warrants the taking of any drastic measures.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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