The Centre for Health Protection announced that a total of 30 new imported malaria cases have been reported in Hong Kong since last month, all of which involved males arriving in Hong Kong from Africa, of which 21 were from Guinea, Africa.
Ho Pak-leung, director of the Centre for Infection and Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong, described today (5th) that the number of cases is "much higher than in the past" and the incident is unusual.
He pointed out that after the epidemic, the number of annual cases in Hong Kong is only single, so the number of cases in about one month has exceeded the sum of three years.
He Bailiang believes that the authorities must conduct an epidemiological investigation on the case, and must explain whether some of the infected people have left the hotel after completing the quarantine.
He also said that it is understood that the Hospital Authority has assessed that there may still be hundreds of people entering from Guinea in the future, or that a large proportion of people will be infected. He believes that the authorities should conduct health checks for relevant immigrants and improve laboratory testing capabilities.
In addition, with a rapid increase in cases in a short period of time, the HA may experience a shortage of drugs, so it is necessary to consider a drug borrowing scheme.
▼On July 25, those returning to Hong Kong at the airport are waiting to take a special bus to the quarantine hotel▼
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Ho Pak-leung said on the RTHK program "Millennium" today that before the epidemic, there were about 20 to 30 malaria cases each year in Hong Kong, all of them returning to Hong Kong. The annual total is more.
He believes that the case involves an employee of the same company, and the incident is unusual.
He explained that malaria is caused by parasites, and five of them are transmitted to humans. After the mosquito bites a malaria patient, the mosquito will be infected, and the parasite will multiply in the mosquito's body. For example, when it bites other people, malaria will be transmitted.
Ho believes that the first case was a month ago, and some of the infected people may have completed the quarantine period. The authorities should explain whether these people have ever left the hotel.
Ho Pak Leung, director of the Centre for Infection and Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong.
(file picture)
He Bailiang also emphasized that the authorities should not only focus on the new coronary pneumonia in arranging quarantine for those entering the country, but also take into account other health needs of the quarantined people.
It is understood that the Hospital Authority has assessed that there may still be hundreds of people entering Guinea in the future. Due to the local malaria prevalence of 30%, it is estimated that a large proportion of people entering the country may be infected.
He believes that the authorities should arrange for inspections of people arriving from Guinea.
In terms of medicines, there have been many cases in a short period of time, and the HA may not have enough medicines to deal with them, or they may have to borrow medicines from the Mainland.
Malaria｜30 imported cases from Africa in the past month, one person died in a quarantine hotel, four people stayed in the ICU Some will be admitted to intensive care wards in the Democratic Republic of the Congo outbreak of "unknown disease" more than 165 child deaths
