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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) made the following announcement today (April 30):
A 93-year-old female patient of a medical ward in Queen Elizabeth Hospital was confirmed today to be a Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) carrier. In reviewing the test results of other screened patients who had contact with the index patient, four more female patients (aged 62 to 93) are confirmed to be VRE carriers without clinical symptoms. One of the patients have been discharged, the remaining patients are still being hospitalised under isolation treatment and in stable condition.
The Infection Control Team, the departments concerned and experts of the Centre for Health Protection had discussed and decided to adopt the following enhanced infection control measures:
1. Strongly encourage patients perform hand hygiene;
2. Enhanced hand hygiene of staff;
3. Applied stringent contact precautions, including dedicated use of clinical items to VRE carriers; and
4. Enhanced environmental and equipment decontamination.
The QEH Infection Control Team will continue to closely monitor the situation of the ward. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow up.
Ends/Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:42
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