The Centre for Health Protection has published CHP provides latest information on cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. Excerpt from a long report:
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (January 3) received notification from the National Health Commission (NHC) on the latest information of the cluster of pneumonia cases detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The public is again urged to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
According to information from the NHC, a number of viral pneumonia cases with unknown cause have been identified since last December through medical surveillance. Symptoms were mainly fever while a few had presented with shortness of breath. As at 8am today, 44 cases have been reported. Among them, 11 cases were in serious condition and the remaining were in stable condition. All patients are receiving treatment in isolation. While 121 close contacts are under medical surveillance, contact tracing of close contacts is still ongoing.
Epidemiological investigations revealed that some patients are business operators at a local seafood market in Wuhan. For the time being, no obvious human-to-human transmission has been observed and no healthcare workers have been infected. While the causative pathogen and cause of infection are still under investigation, influenza viruses, avian influenza viruses and other common respiratory diseases such as adenovirus have been ruled out as the cause.
In response to the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, the CHP has enhanced surveillance since December 31 last year. Taking into consideration of the latest situation, the CHP has revised the criteria for surveillance today to widen the scope. Doctors are requested to report to the CHP if they encounter patients with fever and acute respiratory symptoms, or pneumonia symptoms; and who had visited Wuhan (regardless of whether they have visited wet markets or seafood markets there) within 14 days prior to the onset of the illness.
The CHP will continue to maintain close liaison with the NHC and closely monitor the latest development of cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The CHP will timely update the surveillance criteria and testing strategies in accordance with the latest situation. A dedicated webpage (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/102465.html) has also been set up to provide relevant information and health advice. To address the public's concern, the CHP will announce the details of cases reported under enhanced surveillance (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/enhanced_sur_pneumonia_wuhan_eng.pdf) on the above webpage daily to enhance transparency.
Links to those CHP pages are now in the Key Sites list.
