Hilary Wong and Qi Luo
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Health officials have come under fire for failing to educate their own ambulancemen and hospital staff in the handling of suspected Ebola cases.
It comes a day after a 32-year-old Nigerian tourist was rushed in an ambulance from Chung King Mansions to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, before being moved to an isolation ward in Princess Margaret Hospital.
He subsequently tested negative for the deadly virus. His condition was described as satisfactory last night.
University of Hong Kong's infectious disease expert Ho Pak-leung said that the hospital workers wore flimsy protective gear and some were not equipped with goggles when handling the patient.
Leung said the tourist was also allowed to walk freely inside the hospital before the Ebola test was carried out.
"Without facial protection a person is open to infection should a patient throw up," Ho said.
"When the Centre for Health Protection comes across suspected cases, it should cordon off the patient's dwelling and track those who have been in contact with him or her."
He added that the risk of an Ebola outbreak in the SAR is still minimal.
Another infectious diseases expert, Yuen Kwok-yung, said the handling is "obviously problematic."
He added: "The patient arrived from a country that is suffering from an Ebola epidemic so medics should be protected even before the tests are done."
A Hospital Authority spokesman said staff at Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret hospitals had taken precaution when dealing with the suspected cases.
Ho said public education about Ebola should also be stepped up in Chung King Mansions, where there are many guesthouses with African tourists.
Hong Kong Academy of Pharmacy consultant Iris Chang Yee-man called on the government to ask the World Health Organization to send over the experimental drug Zmapp should any Ebola case be confirmed.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=148298&sid=42791900&con_type=1&d_str=20140812&fc=2
