Society

HK health chief warns of imported E coli cases

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-07 16:12

HONG KONG - Hong Kong may eventually face an imported case of the deadly E coli infection that has afflicted Germany and other European countries, the city's health chief York Chow said Tuesday, emphasizing local health departments have contingency plans in place.

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Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Chow, Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health, said the risk of the outbreak of Enterohaemorrhagic E coli infection by serogroup O104:H4 is still very high because the source has not been identified.

Should someone come to Hong Kong and be admitted to hospital with a bacterial infection, with relevant symptoms, Chow said the government will isolate and treat the patient and at the same time trace the source of infection.

In regard to the plastic additives incident in Taiwan, Chow said it is not appropriate to impose a total ban on food imported from Taiwan, nor to advise people not to eat food from there.

He stressed that food contaminated by plasticizers has been banned from sale while the Center for Food Safety in Hong Kong continues to conduct surveillance tests.

"There are lots of exchanges of information right now. We have to assess the risks before we continue with other actions," he said.