29 May 2010
A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 29) said that the two patients who contracted Hand, Food and Mouth Disease (HFMD) with neurological complications remained in stable condition.
The spokesman noted that the fever of the 34-year-old woman staying at Tuen Mun Hospital had subsided and she is fully conscious. She is now in the isolation ward for treatment.
Laboratory tests showed that the stool specimens taken from her yielded positive results to Enterovirus 71 (EV71).
As for the 43-year-old man at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the spokesman said he has been transferred to the isolation room of the Intensive Care Unit for close observation. He is fully conscious with intermittent double vision.
Laboratory tests on his specimen are ongoing.
The spokesman called on members of the public to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene to prevent HFMD and EV71.
They should adopt the following measures:
* Maintain good indoor ventilation.
* Wash hands before meals and after going to toilet, handling diapers or other stool soiled material.
* Keep hands clean and wash hands properly, especially when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions e.g. after sneezing.
* Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly.
* Clean children's toys and other objects thoroughly and frequently with 1:49 diluted household bleach, followed by rinsing/wiping with clean water.
* Children who are ill should be kept out of school until their fever and rash have subsided and all the vesicles have dried and crusted.
* Avoid going to overcrowded places.