Coronavirus – Credit CDC PHIL
# 6962
The recent detection of a mild NCoV case in the UK has prompted the World Health Organization to call for broader testing of `suspicious’ SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) cases around the world.
Their latest recommendations reads:
WHO encourages all Member States (MS) to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns. Testing for the NCoV should be considered in patients with unexplained pneumonias, or in patients with unexplained, severe, progressive or complicated respiratory illness not responding to treatment, particularly in persons traveling from or resident in areas of the world known to be affected.
Any clusters of SARI or SARI in healthcare workers should be thoroughly investigated, regardless of where in the world they occur.
With only a couple of dozen confirmed (n=13) or suspected cases worldwide in just under a year, no one expects that very many of the patients that meet this criteria will test positive for the novel coronavirus.
Negative results, are likely to be far more common than positive ones.
This is the same pattern we’ve seen with H5N1 testing over the past decade, where the vast majority of `suspected’ cases have ended up being infected with something far less exotic - like seasonal flu.
But NCoV is not only a novel coronavirus, it is a novel media story as well. In the short run, every case that gets tested is likely to garner some degree of press attention.
Yesterday, in Hong Kong: SFH Addresses NCoV Rumors, we saw Hong Kong’s Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, responses to press questions regarding a `suspected’ NCoV case being tested at a local hospital.
Today, we have a press release from the Centre For Health Protection (CHP) indicating that a traveler, recently returned from the Middle East, has tested negative for NCoV.
23 February 2013
Fever patient tested negative for novel coronavirus
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) received a report from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) today (February 23) of a suspected case of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus.
The 40-year-old man, with good past health, presented with fever, cough, myalgia and runny nose since February 20. He attended the Accident and Emergency Department of QEH on February 22 and was admitted to the isolation ward of QEH on the same day. His current condition is stable.
Investigations by the CHP revealed that the patient travelled to Dubai with his family from January 24 to February 1, then to Tehran from February 1 to 20, and returned to Hong Kong on February 21. His family members travelled with him are all asymptomatic.
Preliminary laboratory test result for the patient's nasopharyngeal swab today showed that it tested negative for Novel Coronavirus associated with Severe Respiratory Disease but positive for influenza B.
"The CHP will continue its surveillance mechanism with public and private hospitals, practising doctors and the airport for any suspected cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus," a DH spokesman remarked.
“No human infection with this virus has been identified so far in Hong Kong," the spokesman stressed.
The spokesman advised travellers returning from novel coronavirus-affected countries with respiratory symptoms to wear face masks, seek medical attention and reveal their travel history to doctors.
Ends/Saturday, February 23, 2013
Although the symptoms of `fever, cough, myalgia and runny nose’ fall outside of the typical SARI definition, the patient’s recent travel history was undoubtedly viewed as a `red flag’.
Hong Kong - having endured the brunt of the 2003 SARS epidemic - is understandably being aggressive in their screening efforts.
While better surveillance for this virus is certainly a good thing, the price of that vigilance is that we will undoubtedly see a lot of `suspect cases’ that turn out to be infected with a common respiratory viruses.
Although data is limited, for now NCoV does not appear to be widespread, or transmitting efficiently from human-to-human.
Better surveillance, and continued epidemiological investigations, will tell us a good deal more about this emerging virus over the coming weeks and months.
UPDATE: Shortly after posting this blog, the following statement was issued by Dr Ko Wing-man, SFH Hong Kong.
Secretary for Food and Health: I would like to mention here that yesterday a patient was admitted into a public hospital with fever and symptoms of upper respiratory infection. The patient also has a history of travel to the Middle East. Therefore, our frontline staff's alertness was heightened. The case was reported to the Centre for Health Protection this morning. At the same time, the hospital staff have obtained specimen from the patient to conduct a rapid test. Up to this stage, the report showed that the specimen tested positive for influenza B, but negative for Novel Coronavirus. We are still observing the patient. If necessary, we will repeat the test. However, up to this moment, the patient's specimen tested negative for Novel Coronavirus. I would like to reassure the public that the Government will be as transparent as possible. Whenever there is a suspected case, particularly patients with travel history to the Middle East that need to perform the rapid test, we will release information to the public as soon as possible.
Reporter: (On rumours of new Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus)
Secretary for Food and Health: We noticed that there were at least two incidents where rumours were subsequently proven untrue. These rumours will not affect the health care system. We will remain vigilant. However, spreading of such rumours is unhealthy. The public's attention may be diverted if there are too many untrue reports spreading around. It is important to have trust in the Government that it will be as transparent as possible. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Saturday, February 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 20:16
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