The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) received a notification from Kowloon East Cluster (KEC) last Friday that Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) was cultured in six samples of the same lot of antimicrobial spray. The HA informed all public hospitals to temporarily suspend the use of the antimicrobial spray.
 
     The HA spokesperson said some peritoneal dialysis patients use antimicrobial spray for catheter exit site wound care. The HA received notification from KEC last Friday that the United Christian Hospital (UCH) Renal Team detected an infection on the catheter exit wound in a peritoneal dialysis patient. Further investigation by KEC identified BCC from the clinical specimens collected from the catheter exit site of five peritoneal dialysis patients from March to mid-June this year. One patient who developed peritonitis was admitted to the hospital for treatment and has been discharged, the other four patients recovered after treatment.
 
     A series of laboratory tests were conducted by KEC, and BCC was cultured in six samples of the same lot of antimicrobial spray. KEC immediately stopped using the product in the renal ward and renal centre.
 
     "Similar incidents of infection have not been reported by other public hospitals. Healthcare staff will advise discharged patients on the management of catheter exit site and wound care. The HA has informed other public hospitals to suspend the use of antimicrobial spray of the same lot and temporarily suspend the use of other lots of the product. Healthcare product shops in public hospitals have also been informed to suspend selling the spray concerned.
 
     "We have notified the Department of Health (DH) about the situation. The HA and KEC will co-operate with the DH to follow up on the incident," the HA spokesperson added.

Ends/Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Issued at HKT 20:33

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