The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) is investigating an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis involving S.K.H. Chai Wan St. Michael's School in North Point, with five students affected, all of whom had symptoms consistent with norovirus infection.
In response to an enquiry, the center said 63 students and seven teachers from the school joined an exchange tour to Xi'an from Tuesday (March 11) to Friday (March 14) last week. One of the students showed signs of acute gastroenteritis in the morning of their return trip on Friday, and vomited on and off the tour bus. The next four students who were sitting nearby on the same bus showed signs of acute gastroenteritis two days later. Two of them sought medical attention, and none of them required hospitalization. The Center will arrange to collect stool samples from the patients for laboratory tests.
Preliminary findings of the Center indicate that the outbreak is more likely to be transmitted from person to person or through contact with the vomit-contaminated environment. The CHP has successfully contacted all members of the group for health surveillance and no other teachers or students of the group have shown symptoms so far. Health advice on the transmission, prevention and control of gastroenteritis has been provided to the elementary school.
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