See a doctor, unwell travellers told
Visitors to northern Europe who come home with an upset stomach have been warned to take it much more seriously than usual.
The health minister yesterday urged anyone who felt unwell after travelling to the region, especially Germany, to get a medical check-up to ensure they were not infected with a mutated bacteria strain that had killed 18 people.
The warning from Dr York Chow Yat-ngok came as the first suspected infections of the new Escherischia coli bug outside Europe were reported, with three cases in the United States that were all a result of travel to Europe.
Chow said E coli was now the most serious food contamination issue for Hong Kong. 'I believe that the E coli infection is more serious than the DEHP contamination, with a higher death rate and proven serious damage to the body,' he said.
The government banned drinks from Taiwan last month that were found to be contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical DEHP.
Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen who have studied the bug in collaboration with Germany's University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf say the mutated strain has not been seen before and is highly infectious and toxic.
Infectious-diseases specialist Dr Lo Wing-lok said there were two ways the bacteria could spread, through eating tainted raw vegetables - blamed for the outbreak in Europe - and by infected travellers to the city.
The European Union's office for Hong Kong and Macau says Hong Kong is not at risk from vegetables.
'We have confirmation from our colleagues in Brussels that there are no contaminated fruits or vegetables in or en route to Hong Kong,' it said.
The office said the amount of fresh produce imported to Hong Kong from Europe was minimal and the government would be informed at once through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed if any food destined for the city was tainted.
The Centre for Food Safety said it had stepped up surveillance at import and retail levels on vegetables imported from Europe, especially Germany and Spain. The Hospital Authority said it would enhance monitoring and reporting of suspected infection cases and had drafted guidelines on control measures.
1,700
The number of people in Europe infected with the new bug
- Amount of European fresh produce sent to Hong Kong is 'minimal'
