Hong Kong girl, 8, tests negative for Middle East respiratory syndrome
An eight-year-old girl who developed a fever after spending the Lunar New Year holiday in the United Arab Emirates tested negative for the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), the Health Department said.
An eight-year-old girl who developed a fever after spending the Lunar New Year holiday in the United Arab Emirates yesterday tested negative for the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), the Health Department said.
The girl was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung early yesterday after checks at the airport showed an unusually high body temperature. Tests by the Centre for Health Protection proved negative for the virus.
The city is on high alert for Mers, a disease related to severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed 299 people in Hong Kong in 2003.
Several Hong Kong tourists have been tested for the virus but none have proved positive. There have been more than 1,000 cases worldwide.
The girl had been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Friday to Tuesday and rode camels the day before coming home; the animals have been identified as the primary source for infection.
"As camels serve as the primary source of infection, we again urge the public not to join camel rides and activities with camel contact," a Health Department spokesman said.