The Department of Health has launched an investigation after the death of a 14-year-old girl from scarlet fever yesterday. This follows a 10-fold increase last year in the number of children struck down by the potentially fatal bacteria.
Another victim - an 11-year-old boy who attends St Joseph's Primary School in Wan Chai - was in stable condition in the intensive care unit at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan. He was transferred two days after being admitted to a private hospital on January 15.
St Joseph's school has closed for the Lunar New Year holiday, while St Paul's Secondary School in Happy Valley, which the girl attended, will close today - one day earlier than usual - to prevent an outbreak.
The schools would be thoroughly disinfected, health officials said.
A microbiologist believes a mutation that might make the bacteria more infectious may be the reason for the unusual outbreak in recent months.
'It is rare to find scarlet fever attacking children above the age of 10,' said Dr Thomas Tsang Ho-fai, the controller of the Centre for Health Protection, who announced the investigation yesterday.
He said more than 90 per cent of cases occurred in children below the age of 10.