Amoy index patient was infected in Shenzhen
The index patient who spread Sars in the Amoy Gardens private housing estate became infected in Shenzhen, a Legislative Council inquiry report due out on Monday is expected to say.
Until now, it has been generally accepted that the man was infected when he was put into the ill-fated Ward 8A of Prince of Wales Hospital, where staff and medical students were already falling sick.
'Actually [legislators] are delinking him from [Prince of Wales],' a source said.
The man, 33, lived in Shenzhen but came to Hong Kong regularly for kidney dialysis treatment at the hospital.
On March 14, he stayed overnight at his brother's flat in Block E of Amoy Gardens, already suffering from the symptoms of Sars.
The man was labelled an 'atypical pneumonia' patient by Prince of Wales doctors. But tests found influenza A and the man responded to treatment.
His fever had subsided by March 17 and his chest X-rays had cleared up by March 19, so he was discharged.
The man stayed overnight at his brother's flat, discharging Sars-laden waste into the building's faulty sewerage system.
He returned to Shenzhen but two days later was readmitted to Prince of Wales with Sars. He recovered.
'At that time there was no diagnostic test apart from the influenza A test,' a source said.
By the time the Amoy Gardens outbreak was over, 329 residents had been infected, with 42 deaths.
Lo Wing-lok, member of the Legco select committee conducting the Sars inquiry, yesterday said: 'I believe anyone with a heart for the truth ... will like the report.'
Committee chairman Law Chi-kwong said the report would give details of the chain of events from January to April last year but would not focus on 'clinical issues'.
