The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesperson for Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) made the following announcement today (July 31):
A 82-year-old female patient was admitted to the Medicine & Geriatrics (M&G) ward of PMH on July 9 while her screening specimen was confirmed to carry Candida auris on July 27 without signs of infection. In accordance with prevailing guideline, PMH has commenced contact tracing for patients who have close contact with the index patient. One more 76-year-old female M&G patient who stayed in the same cubicle was confirmed to carry Candida auris without signs of infection. The two patients are now treated under isolation and both are clinically stable.
In addition, a 59-year-old female patient was admitted to a urology ward of PMH on July 3 while her screening specimen was confirmed to carry Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) on July 22. In accordance with prevailing guideline, PMH has commenced contact tracing for patients who have close contact with the index patient. Two more patients (aged 29 and 68) who stayed in the same ward were confirmed to be CPE carriers without clinical symptoms through screening. Two patients are still treated under isolation at PMH and are in stable condition while one patient has been discharged.
The hospital has reported the cases to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). The following enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted:
- Thorough cleansing and disinfection of the wards concerned
- Enhance patient and environmental screening procedures
- Apply stringent contact precautions and enhance hand hygiene of staff and patients
The hospital will continue to closely monitor the situation as well as follow up the cases with concerned departments and the CHP.
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