Hong Kong medical experts are set to inspect two service reservoirs in a bid to identify the source of a “worrying” surge of melioidosis infections, which has led to the deaths of seven people this year, a leading microbiologist has said.
Melioidosis is an infectious disease that infects humans or animals and is caused by a bacterium found in contaminated soil and water. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 31 cases and seven melioidosis-related deaths this year.
Health authorities should consider listing the bacterial infection melioidosis as a “statutory notifiable disease” to help the government monitor its recent spread, infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said on Sunday.
The mechanism would mandate the reporting of any suspected or confirmed cases of the disease, which can cause fever, chest pains and ulcers, among other symptoms.
Yuen’s remarks came after a notable increase in the number of reported cases this year compared to previous years when less than 10 cases were registered annually, the chair professor of infectious diseases at HKU said.
“The biggest problem is that it is concentrated in Sham Shui Po and Shek Kip Mei, which is very worrying,” Yuen said, referring 20 cases of melioidosis that were found in Sham Shui Po.
The authorities have yet to confirm the source of the outbreak. According to Yuen, more soil samples, drinking water samples and samples from water pipes in the area should be collected for testing. His team also planned to inspect the operation of the Shek Kip Mei Service Reservoir and the Butterfly Valley Fresh Water Primary Service Reservoir next week.
Last Friday, an investigation team led by personnel from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University found that four soil samples collected at a construction site at Pak Tin Estate Park tested positive to Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacterium causing melioidosis.
But all 107 environmental samples collected by the CHP in Sham Shui Po earlier and some other soil samples gathered at the construction site came back as negative.
Melioidosis can cause fever, headache, localised pain or swelling, ulcers, chest pain, cough, haemoptysis and swelling of lymph nodes. The disease can be transmitted through inhalation and ingestion of contaminated water, while person-to-person transmission – said to be rare – may occur though contact with blood or body fluids of an infected patient.
According to the CHP, people with underlying diseases such as diabetes, lung disease, liver disease, renal disease, cancer or immunosuppression have a higher risk of contracting the disease. Those who work in the agricultural sector, laboratory and healthcare workers are also more prone to being infected.
Hong Kong currently has 52 notifiable infectious diseases. Adding melioidosis to the list would help medical experts get a better hold of relevant statistics, Yuen said, but the decision would depend on the CHP and the Department of Health.
Mask mandate
On Sunday, Yuen, also a health advisor for the government on the Covid-19 pandemic, said he did not support calls for easing Hong Kong’s outdoor mask mandate despite the relaxation of other anti-epidemic measures.
The vaccination rate among children remained low, the HKU microbiologist said, warning that lifting the mask requirement may increase Covid-19 infections among the group and causing more related deaths. The government should only consider such relaxation after winter was over, he said.
Hong Kong reported 5,535 Covid-19 infections on Sunday, of which 392 were imported.
Correction 17.00: An earlier version of this article included a misspelling of Yuen Kwok-yung’s name. We regret the error.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
LATEST FROM HKFP
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.
