Press Release

Cholera Update

July 12, 2001

The Department of Health (DH) today (July 12) reminded members of the public to be on guard against cholera following the confirmation of a cholera case involving a 45-year-old woman living in Tsuen Wan District. She is now in hospital in stable condition.

The woman suffered from diarrhoea and was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital last night (July 11). She had not travelled outside Hong Kong during the incubation period and the case was classified as a local one.

The patient's home had been disinfected and health education had been given to her 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.

To-date, eleven confirmed cholera cases were reported in Hong Kong this (2001) year. Of these, nine were local cases, one was an imported case and one is awaiting to be classified.