20 Aug 2008
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a suspected gastroenteritis outbreak involving 21 people of a tour group today (August 20) and urged members of the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene.
The affected, comprising nine male and 12 female aged from four to 73, are members of a tour group visiting Thailand from August 13 to 17. They developed gastroenteritis symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting since August 13.
Twelve of them sought medical treatment from a hospital in Thailand, while ten consulted private doctors or attended Accident and Emergency Department of hospitals in Hong Kong on arrival. One of them was admitted to a private hospital in Sha Tin and had been discharged.
Further investigation is on-going.
To prevent contracting gastroenteritis, members of the public are advised to-
* Ensure proper personal hygiene;
* Wash hands thoroughly before eating and after using toilet or handling vomitus or faecal matter;
* Avoid food that is not thoroughly cooked.
When dining out, people should:
* Patronise only reputable and licensed restaurants;
* Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
* Cook food thoroughly;
* Avoid eating raw seafood;
* Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi and raw oysters in a buffet;
* Drink boiled water;
* Use two sets of chopsticks and eating utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
* Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective;
* Always wash hands before eating and after going to toilet.
People can obtain more information on the prevention of gastroenteritis from CHP's website (
http://www.chp.gov.hk
) or call the Central Health Education Unit hotline 2833 0111.