The Centre for Health Protection is currently keeping watch on a suspected case of MERS: a two-year-old boy who had travelled to Hong Kong from Dubai with his family on July 23 developed a fever a day later, followed by a cough on July 26. He was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital on Saturday and has been in a stable condition. The family members he travelled with have not shown any symptoms.
Though there have been no confirmed cases of MERS in Hong Kong but there have been many other suspected cases that all tested negative. Whenever there is a suspected case of MERS, the Hong Kong government has to notify the public.
The Department of Health reminds people to avoid contact with camels, which are believed to be the primary source of the virus that causes MERS, MERS Coronavirus. Infected camels can infect humans upon close contact.
As an international travel hub with many slaughterhouses and chicken farms within close proximity to the city, Hong Kong has found itself the repeated ground zero for many public health battles, like SARS and swine flu or bird flu. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is the latest epidemic that the world has its eye on, and Hongkongers could at least find some comfort that it was far from home. But as the Hong Kong government knows very well, the next case is only a plane ride away.
Photo: Jjron via Wikimedia
