Video: HK Officials Seeking Traveling Companion Of H7N9 Patient

 

 

# 8032

 

We’ve a short video of Dr. Ko Wing-Man addressing the press regarding the H7N9 patient currently in Critical condition in a Hong Kong hospital, with an added complication to the story – in addition to isolating and testing several close contacts with flu-like symptoms - they are also looking for the woman’s traveling companion who went with her to Shenzhen last month.

Click this link, or the graphic below to watch the 4 minute video.

 

 

Human H7N9 case confirmed

December 02, 2013

Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man has confirmed the first human case of avian influenza H7N9 in Hong Kong, affecting a 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper. She is in critical condition.

 

Speaking to the media after chairing the Steering Committee on Avian Influenza meeting tonight, he said the patient was in Shenzhen last month, and had been in contact with poultry there.

She fell ill on November 21 and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on November 27. She was transferred to Queen Mary Hospital on November 30. Her close contacts have minor symptoms and are being isolated in Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dr Ko said the Government has raised the response level from 'alert' to 'serious' under its preparedness plan for influenza pandemic, and the Centre for Health Protection is looking for the patient’s friend who travelled with her to Shenzhen.

The Government has suspended the import of live chickens from three Shenzhen farms, and has notified Mainland authorities and the World Health Organisation about the case.

The Hospital Authority will strengthen anti-infection measures, and will limit hospital visiting hours.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will ensure safety and cleaning measures at local markets, and the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will inspect local chicken farms to tighten infection control.

Transcript Of Remarks By Dr. Ko Wing-Man On Hong Kong’s H7N9 Case

 

 

# 8031

 

http://www.info.gov.hk has posted the following transcript of remarks made by Dr. Ko Wing-man to reporters after chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee in discussions over the detection of an imported case of H7N9 in Hong Kong.

 

 

SFH on confirmed human case of avian influenza A(H7N9)

Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, after chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee on Serious Response Level under the Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic last night (December 2):

Secretary for Food and Health: We have just confirmed the first human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hong Kong. The victim is a 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper. She has a history of travelling to Shenzhen, buying a chicken, slaughtering and eating the chicken. She is now in critical condition at Queen Mary Hospital. Her home contacts will be admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for isolation and testing.

We have also escalated the response level of our Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic to "Serious". The Hospital Authority will strengthen its infectious control measures, including limiting the visiting hours as well as other measures. The Centre for Health Protection will continue its work on contact tracing. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will ensure strict adherence to biosafety measures and cleansing arrangement by the live chicken stalls in the markets.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will conduct visits to all local chicken farms and ensure the infection control measures in the poultry wholesale market (are in place).

We have notified the Mainland authority and will notify the World Health Organization according to the established procedures. We have an understanding with the relevant department of the Central People's Government that we will suspend the import of live chickens from the three registered chicken farms in Shenzhen.

Reporter: (On assessment on human-to-human transmission of avian influenza A(H7N9))

Secretary for Food and Health: It depends very much on the investigation or testing results of the close contacts of this particular patient, who is the first patient so far in Hong Kong. I am sure that this part of the investigation results will be available very soon, the earliest by tomorrow.  

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

Ends/Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 01:43

 

You’ll find earlier posts on this newly announced case below:

 

HK Gov Confirmation Of H7N9 Case

Dr. Ko Wing-man On Hong Kong H7N9 Case

HK Gov Confirmation Of H7N9 Case

 

# 8030

 

Although we’ve been following this story for a couple of hours now (see here & here), we finally have an English language announcement on an official Hong Kong government website:

 

 

 

Human H7N9 case confirmed

December 02, 2013

Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man has confirmed the first human case of avian influenza H7N9 in Hong Kong, affecting a 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper. She is in critical condition.

Speaking to the media after chairing the Steering Committee on Avian Influenza meeting tonight, he said the patient was in Shenzhen last month, and had been in contact with poultry there.

She fell ill on November 21 and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on November 27. She was transferred to Queen Mary Hospital on November 30. Her close contacts have minor symptoms and are being isolated in Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dr Ko said the Government has raised the response level from 'alert' to 'serious' under its preparedness plan for influenza pandemic, and the Centre for Health Protection is looking for the patient’s friend who travelled with her to Shenzhen.
The Government has suspended the import of live chickens from three Shenzhen farms, and has notified Mainland authorities and the World Health Organisation about the case.

The Hospital Authority will strengthen anti-infection measures, and will limit hospital visiting hours.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will ensure safety and cleaning measures at local markets, and the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will inspect local chicken farms to tighten infection control.

 

 

Note: This report indicates Hong Kong’s Pandemic Response level has been raised to SERIOUS, not ALERT as was indicated earlier today on the CHP website.

WHO MERS-CoV Update – Dec 2nd

Coronavirus - Photo Credit WHO

 

# 8029

 

Although we were tipped off earlier this morning to most of these details (see Gregory Hartl & WHO On UAE MERS Cluster) the World Health Organization has just published the following update on the UAE Family cluster of MERS Coronavirus.

 

 

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - update

Disease outbreak news

2 December 2013 - On 1 December 2013 WHO was informed of an additional three laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the United Arab Emirates

The three cases belong to a family in Abu Dhabi – a mother (32 years old), father (38 years old) and son (8 years old). The earliest onset of illness was 15 November 2013. Both the mother and father are in a critical condition in hospital. They had no travel history, no contact with a known confirmed case and no history of contact with animals. While hospitalized, the mother gave birth to a newborn child. The 8 year old son, who has mild respiratory symptoms, was detected from epidemiological investigation of family contacts, and is being kept in hospital isolation. Further investigations into close contacts of the family, the newborn baby, and healthcare workers are on-going.

Additionally, two previously laboratory-confirmed cases from Qatar died on 19 and 29 November 2013.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 163 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 70 deaths.

Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all Member States to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns.

Health care providers are advised to maintain vigilance. Recent travellers returning from the Middle East who develop SARI should be tested for MERS-CoV as advised in the current surveillance recommendations.

Dr. Ko Wing-man On Hong Kong H7N9 Case

Photo credit Hong Kong’s CHP

 

# 8028

 

Another translated story, this time from Xinhua News on remarks made by Hong Kong’s SFH (Secretary of Food & Health), Dr. Ko Wing-man

 

Hong Kong confirmed the first case of human infection of H7N9 avian local flu cases

2013-12-03 00:39:19 Source: Xinhua

 

Xinhua HONG KONG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) Hong Kong SAR Government Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing Man 2 evening confirmed that Hong Kong confirmed the first case of human infection of H7N9 avian influenza cases, patients being treated in hospital, of the influenza pandemic contingency plans have been alert level to a serious level.

 

Ko Wing-man said that the patient is an Indian commission, November 17 went to Shenzhen slaughter chickens for cooking, which is currently in critical condition. Ko Wing-man, said the patient's close contacts have been taken to hospital, four of which famous people have mild symptoms, as soon as they will quickly test. In his view, only one case due to a temporary, but patients also have a clear history, so initially classified as imported cases.

 

HKU Infectious Disease Center Director Ho Pak-leung said, I believe this is an imported cases, found that H7N9 is not yet changed hands successor, but urged the public to be vigilant.

 

Ko Wing Man also said it would suspend the registration of Shenzhen three farms for chickens to Hong Kong.

(Original title: Hong Kong confirmed the first case of human infection with H7N9 local avian flu)

H7N9: Hong Kong Activates Pandemic Response Alert Level.

 

CORRECTION:  Fresh reports indicate that the Response level has been raised to SERIOUS – the second highest level - (not ALERT, as the link below would suggest).

 

# 8027

 

While details are still sketchy, Hong Kong’s CHP today has announced  The Alert Response Level under the Government's Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic is activated in response to the detection that City’s first imported case of H7N9.  

 

The Alert Response level (Lowest of the three; Emergency, Serious, & Alert) is activated, based on their 2012 Pandemic Response plan when:

6.  Alert Response Level corresponds to a situation where the risk of a novel influenza virus causing new and serious health impact in Hong Kong is  low. Generally, it depicts the existence of a novel influenza virus capable of causing more serious illness than seasonal influenza in neighbouring regions of Hong Kong, but without imminent risk of causing any human infection in Hong Kong.

 

Examples of scenarios under this level include the following –

(a) confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in poultry populations outside Hong Kong; (b) confirmation of HPAI in imported birds in quarantine, in wild birds, in recreational parks, in pet bird shops or in the natural environment in Hong Kong;
(c) confirmation of novel influenza known to have caused human infection with serious health outcome in other wild/pet animals in Hong Kong; or 
(d) confirmation of sporadic or small  cluster of human case(s) of HPAI or novel influenza in areas that have insignificant travel and trade relationships with Hong Kong.

Under these scenarios, human-to-human transmission has not been sufficient to sustain community level outbreaks.

 

So far, most of the reportage has appeared in the Chinese press, and so translations are a bit rough. First stop, though, are a couple of brief reports  (h/t @Ironorehopper @FluTrackers).

 

Hong Kong confirms first case of H7N9

02-12-2013
Hong Kong has confirmed its first human case of H7N9 bird flu. It is understood that the patient, who is being treated in Queen Mary Hospital, had visited the mainland and had been in contact with poultry. The Health Secretary, Ko Wing-man, is due to give further details tonight. So far about 140 human cases of H7N9 have been reported on the mainland, with 45 fatalities.

Hong Kong confirms first human case of H7N9 infection

At 23:37 on December 2, 2013 / Source: People's Daily

Hong Kong on December 2, according to Hong Kong media reports today, the first human infection of H7N9 in Hong Kong appears avian flu cases, the patient is being treated at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong.

It is understood that the patient is a foreign domestic helper, she visited the mainland, and contact with poultry.

In addition, the Hong Kong SAR Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man tonight at the "Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan Serious Response Level Steering Committee meeting." And held a press conference at around 23:00, introduce patient details. (Cao Haiyang)

 

We are still awaiting an official announcement from the CHP.