Two elderly women were in hospital last night after being infected with screw worms - a parasite that previously has attacked only dogs in Hong Kong.
The women were believed to be the SAR's first human victims of the flesh-eating screw-worm fly, a spokesman for the Department of Health said.
Last month, an 89-year-old woman was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital, where she had an operation to remove dead tissue in her mouth on Monday. The woman, who lives in an old-age home in Tuen Mun, was in a stable condition in hospital last night.
A 69-year-old woman living in Yan Chai Nursing Home, Tsuen Wan, was admitted to Yan Chai Hospital last Saturday with bleeding gums and was diagnosed with screw worms. She was also in a stable condition in hospital last night.
A Department of Health spokeswoman said staff had been sent to the elderly homes to carry out disease control and offer health advice. Pest control teams from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department also conducted control measures.
'Attacks of this insect on humans are very rare and can be prevented with proper wound management and good personal hygiene. People should protect wounds and seek medical advice if they are not healing properly,' she said.