bb8VgwB

NEWS
Ebola: Is Hong Kong ready?
As the threat of Ebola spreads, are Hong Kong’s densely packed streets
ready for this fatal epidemic? Charley Mulliner finds out.
Photo: CDC/Sally Ezra
Photo: Sam Tsang/SCMP
Photo: CDC/NIAID
Department of Health officials demonstrate
protective clothing worn to defend against Ebola
Stockpiles of protective gear, a hundred isolation beds on
standby, health care workers on high alert: Hong Kong’s medical
profession is primed for Ebola. That’s because the statistics
surrounding the epidemic seeping out of West Africa make for
grim reading. With something close to a 90 percent fatality rate
in currently affected regions, the World Health Organization says
the virus disease Ebola is “winning the race.” There have been
some 4,500 deaths from the disease so far, with predictions that
new cases could reach 10,000 a week before Christmas.
Apart from two scares back in August, Hong Kong has
managed to stay off the radar. But if Ebola does come to our
shores, is our dense city ready to deal with it? The city’s medical
professionals give us the low-down on Hong Kong’s preparations.
On Alert
Hong Kong is currently at the “Alert” response level for Ebola:
the lowest of three stages of the government’s response system
to the virus. While the risk of someone arriving in Hong Kong
carrying the Ebola virus is low, it does exist, says Professor
Malik Peiris, a virology expert at HKU’s School of Public Health.
“We are fairly well prepared, but on the other hand it’s also a
densely packed community so we have to take this possibility
seriously—the possibility that someone with Ebola may land in
Hong Kong, or be admitted to hospital in Hong Kong.”
There are no direct flights between Hong Kong and West
African nations, but neighboring Guangdong Province is a
popular destination for African immigrants, and a potential
source of land-based transmission into the city.
What is Ebola?
The Ebola virus originates in fruit bats and spreads
between humans through direct contact with bodily fluids.
Initial symptoms mimic the flu—fever, muscle pain, headache
and sore throat—within 2 to 21 days from contamination.
Vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver functions
and in some cases both internal and external bleeding follow.
There is no proven treatment and no vaccines exist yet.
“There’s also the possibility that there
may be secondary contamination,” in which
medical equipment or staff transmit the
infection, says Prof. Peiris, citing the cases
of Ebola in the US and Spain. “However, an
uncontrolled outbreak is extremely unlikely
in Hong Kong.”
Preparation Nation
Unlikely or not, the city’s medical profession has been
preparing for some months, says Dr. Owen Tsang, Medical
Director of the Hospital Authority Infectious Disease Centre.
“Relatively, we’re quite well prepared for this. Hong Kong has
been hit hard by SARS and we have faced lots of infectious
diseases, like influenza H191. We also have experience
in dealing with suspected cases of MERS—Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome.”
The city has also ramped up its border checks, explains
Dr Leung Ting-hung, Controller of the Centre for Health
Protection. “Temperature screening using thermal imaging
scanners has been in place at all Boundary Control Points
for all arriving travelers. Surveillance of sick travelers has
been enhanced and all suspected cases will be referred to the
[Hospital Authority’s] Infectious Disease Centre for examination.”
Hong Kong has a three-month stockpile of protective suits,
face shields and gloves, and health care workers regularly
practice gowning up. Medical staff are being taught to treat
infected patients and handle dead bodies, with everybody
The good news: Ebola is less contagious than SARS,
explains Professor Malik Peiris, of HKU’s School of Public
Health. “In terms of the spread, Ebola requires more direct
contact than SARS did. SARS is spread by a respiratory
route—sneezing, coughing—whereas Ebola is spread
by bodily fluids, secretions; so to that extent it’s easier
to contain.”
down to the cleaners being instructed
in dealing with infected waste. There
are 108 beds standing ready in
isolation units at Princess Margaret
Hospital: doctors have been told to
isolate patients displaying any Ebolalike
symptoms, before calling the
Department for Health. The patient will
then be transported to the IDC for tests,
and if necessary, further treatment.
“It’s a good exercise for us to practice. We use this chance
to train up our health care workers,” says the IDC’s Dr. Tsang.
“The most important thing is the psychological preparations.
Some of our colleagues may be very anxious so we have to have
the most experienced nurses leading the others to manage these
sorts of patients. If they’re anxious, that may be the time when
they have lapses and get infected.”
So, what should we be doing? Don’t panic but be vigilant,
insists Dr Tsang. “We have to be prepared at any time, especially
as the West Africa situation is still not under control. I don’t
know when we will have the first case—but if it really comes
to Hong Kong, we do have the capacity to deal with it.”
“[Hong Kong] is a densely
packed community so
we have to take this
possibility seriously.”
– Professor Malik Peiris,
HKU School of Public Health
Protect Yourself
• Avoid unnecessary travel to the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea,
Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
• Use liquid soap or an alcohol-based rub to
clean hands before touching the eyes, nose
and mouth.
• Avoid close contact with feverish or ill people,
and with blood or bodily fluids of patients.
• Avoid contact with animals.
• Cook food thoroughly before consumption.
• If you develop symptoms of Ebola, you should
call 999 to arrange a consultation at A&E.
12 HK MAGAZINE FRIDAY, october 24, 2014