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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (August 6) drew the attention of the public and the management of institutions to the prevention of acute gastroenteritis in the community in view of a recent increase of its activity.
A CHP spokesman said that 11 institutional outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis were recorded last week (July 29 to August 4), as compared with two to five outbreaks in the preceding two weeks. In particular, half of the outbreaks (eight out of 15) recorded in July were norovirus-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks. The communicable diseases surveillance system based at the Accident and Emergency Departments of public hospitals also showed an increase in the consultation rate of the acute gastroenteritis syndrome group during the same period.
"Acute gastroenteritis can be caused by many viral and bacterial agents. The most common infective causative agent is norovirus, which is also a frequent cause of outbreaks in institutions. Norovirus outbreaks occur more frequently in winter months but they may occur throughout the year. Although norovirus infections are usually self-limiting, they are highly infectious and may result in large-scale outbreaks. Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever and malaise. The infection can be transmitted by consumption of contaminated food, direct contact with the vomitus or excreta of infected persons, contact with contaminated objects or aerosol spread with contaminated droplets of splashed vomitus," he said.
The CHP has issued letters to health-care professionals and various institutions today to alert them to the recent increase in acute gastroenteritis and to provide health advice.
To prevent the spread of acute gastroenteritis, the public should take the following precautions:
* Maintain high standards of personal, food and environmental hygiene;
* Wash hands before handling food and eating, and after going to the toilet;
* Cook all food, particularly shellfish, thoroughly before consumption;
* Refrain from work or school and seek medical advice if one is suffering from vomiting or diarrhoea; and
* Clean up vomitus appropriately by keeping other people away from the contaminated area, wearing gloves and a mask throughout the disinfection procedure and using disposable towels to wipe away all the vomitus from the periphery inward, before applying 1-to-49 diluted household bleach (by adding 1 part of household bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite to 49 parts of water) to the surface and neighbouring area (within two metres from the edge of the vomitus) and washing hands thoroughly afterwards.
Members of the public can obtain more information on the prevention of acute gastroenteritis from the CHP's website (www.chp.gov.hk) or call the Central Health Education Unit hotline, 2833 0111.
Ends/Monday, August 6, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:10
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