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Woman, 22, rushed to Hong Kong hospital with suspected Mers after returning from Korea
Elizabeth Cheung [email protected]
PUBLISHED:Wed, 10 Jun, 2015, 3:23pm
UPDATED:Wed, 10 Jun, 2015, 3:33pm
A 22-year-old woman was rushed to hospital in Hong Kong this afternoon with a suspected case of Middle East respiratory syndrome.
The woman, who visited Seoul between May 23 and 27, is in isolation at the Princess Margaret Hospital where her condition is stable. Samples are being retrieved by healthcare workers and will be sent for a Mers test.
The woman had a running nose on Sunday and showed symptoms of fever yesterday.
She sought treatment at a clinic in Tsing Yi MTR station at around noon, and was put in isolation in the clinic after notifying the doctor she had been to South Korea.
The clinic notified the Centre for Health Protection and the patient was sent to the hospital in Kwai Chung for further treatment.
People outside the clinic at Tsing Yi MTR station were seen in protective robes, gloves, caps and surgical masks.
The benchmark Hang Seng index dropped 228 points, or 0.85 per cent, to 26,761 as of 3:05pm, with heavy selling starting at about 2:30pm when the news of the suspected case broke.
Health officials in protective clothing investigate at the Tsing Yi clinic. Photo: Sam Tsang
Two new deaths and 13 new cases of Mers were confirmed in South Korea on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths to nine and the number of infections to 108 in the outbreak, its health ministry said.
The first infected patient was diagnosed on May 20 after a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The 68-year-old man spread the germs, visiting four medical facilities and infecting other patients and health care workers.
Since then, nearly 3,500 people who were exposed to patients have been placed under quarantine of varying degrees.
The two latest fatalities were a 75-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man, victims of the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia.
All the infections, however, have been limited to hospitals, and health authorities in South Korea stressed that the outbreak had not spread to communities outside hospital settings.
The nine dead had pre-existing health conditions, the ministry said, adding four patients so far have recovered and were released from hospital.
As the number of cases and deaths has risen and public alarm escalated, nearly 2,500 schools – mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province – were closed on Wednesday, up 300 from the previous day.
Local businesses including shopping malls, movie theatres and theme parks reported a sharp drop in sales as people shunned crowded public venues.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
Elizabeth Cheung [email protected]
PUBLISHED:Wed, 10 Jun, 2015, 3:23pm
UPDATED:Wed, 10 Jun, 2015, 3:33pm
A 22-year-old woman was rushed to hospital in Hong Kong this afternoon with a suspected case of Middle East respiratory syndrome.
The woman, who visited Seoul between May 23 and 27, is in isolation at the Princess Margaret Hospital where her condition is stable. Samples are being retrieved by healthcare workers and will be sent for a Mers test.
The woman had a running nose on Sunday and showed symptoms of fever yesterday.
She sought treatment at a clinic in Tsing Yi MTR station at around noon, and was put in isolation in the clinic after notifying the doctor she had been to South Korea.
The clinic notified the Centre for Health Protection and the patient was sent to the hospital in Kwai Chung for further treatment.
People outside the clinic at Tsing Yi MTR station were seen in protective robes, gloves, caps and surgical masks.
The benchmark Hang Seng index dropped 228 points, or 0.85 per cent, to 26,761 as of 3:05pm, with heavy selling starting at about 2:30pm when the news of the suspected case broke.
Health officials in protective clothing investigate at the Tsing Yi clinic. Photo: Sam Tsang
Two new deaths and 13 new cases of Mers were confirmed in South Korea on Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths to nine and the number of infections to 108 in the outbreak, its health ministry said.
The first infected patient was diagnosed on May 20 after a trip to Saudi Arabia.
The 68-year-old man spread the germs, visiting four medical facilities and infecting other patients and health care workers.
Since then, nearly 3,500 people who were exposed to patients have been placed under quarantine of varying degrees.
The two latest fatalities were a 75-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man, victims of the largest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia.
All the infections, however, have been limited to hospitals, and health authorities in South Korea stressed that the outbreak had not spread to communities outside hospital settings.
The nine dead had pre-existing health conditions, the ministry said, adding four patients so far have recovered and were released from hospital.
As the number of cases and deaths has risen and public alarm escalated, nearly 2,500 schools – mostly in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi province – were closed on Wednesday, up 300 from the previous day.
Local businesses including shopping malls, movie theatres and theme parks reported a sharp drop in sales as people shunned crowded public venues.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse