Kowloon West Cluster announces case of Candida auris
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The spokesperson for Kowloon West Cluster (KWC) made the following announcement today (March 3):
A 55-year-old male patient had been admitted to the Medical and Geriatrics ward and Rehabilitation ward of Princess Margaret Hospital since late January. He was transferred to the Caritas Medical Centre for palliative care on February 24 and went through an admission screening. The screening result showed that he was a Candida auris carrier while not having signs of infection. In accordance with prevailing guidelines, contact tracing was commenced for patients who have close contact with the index patient, and identified one more 57-year-old male patient, who had been in the same rehabilitation ward, to be a Candida auris carrier without signs of infection. The patients are now being treated under isolation and both are clinically stable.
KWC has reported the cases to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). The following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted:
1. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned
2. Enhanced patient and environmental screening procedures
3. Applied stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients
KWC will continue to closely monitor the situation of the patients as well as following up on the cases with concerned departments and the CHP.
Ends/Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:11
Issued at HKT 19:11
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