Press Release

Human Cases with Novel Coronavirus Infection

24 September 2012

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a case of novel coronavirus infection with travel history to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Qatar on September 23, 2012.

The case was a previously healthy, 49-year-old male Qatari national who had travel history to the KSA prior to onset of illness, presented with respiratory symptoms on September 3, 2012. He is currently receiving treatment for severe respiratory illness in London. The Health Protection Agency of the United Kingdom (HPA) conducted laboratory testing and has confirmed the presence of a novel coronavirus.

HPA found that the virus isolate from this patient was highly similar to the coronavirus identified from another fatal case in a 60 year-old male, Saudi national, reported earlier on September 20, 2012.

To enhance monitoring of the novel coronavirus in Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has set up an enhanced surveillance mechanism with public and private hospitals for any suspected cases of novel coronavirus infection.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which includes viruses that cause the common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Given that this is a novel coronavirus, WHO is currently in the process of obtaining further information to determine the public health implications of these two confirmed cases.

In Hong Kong, our Public Health Laboratory Centre has the capacity to detect this virus. No human infection with this virus has been identified so far in Hong Kong.

CHP will closely monitor the progress of further epidemiological investigations and surveillance, and the corresponding advice from the WHO.