Press Release

Cholera Update

July 9, 2001

The Department of Health (DH) today (July 9) reminded members of the public to be on guard against cholera following the confirmation of a cholera case involving a 43-year-old man living in Western District. He is now in hospital in stable condition.

The man suffered from diarrhoea and was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital last Saturday (July 7). He had travelled outside Hong Kong during part of the incubation period. The case is not yet classified.

The patient's home had been disinfected and health education had been given to his family member who was asymptomatic. Investigation is being carried out jointly by DH and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).

To prevent getting the disease, members of the public should:

• Clean food thoroughly and ensure they are adequately cooked before consumption;
• Wash hands before eating and after going to toilets;
• Raw and cooked food should be handled with separate utensils;
• Keep raw and cooked food separately;
• Store food in refrigerator (at 4 degrees Celsius or below) and adequately reheat leftover food before consumption; and
• Keep the environment clean.

When travelling outside Hong Kong, the public should take the following measures:

• Always wash hands before eating and after going to toilets;
• Eat only thoroughly cooked food and food fresh from sealed packs or cans;
• Do not eat cold dish such as salad and ice-cream;
• Drink only boiled water, canned or bottled drinks, pasteurised milk or dairy products;
• Do not add ice in drinks and do not drink fresh fruit juice prepared beforehand;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers; and
• Do not eat fruits that have been peeled and fruits and vegetables that are not thoroughly cleansed.

In addition, the cholera case involving a 52-year-old man living in Yau Tsim Mong District, was classified as a local case.

To-date, 10 confirmed cholera cases were reported in Hong Kong this (2001) year. Of these, one was an imported case reported in May and eight were local cases reported last month (June). Today's case has not yet been classified.