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Patsy Moy

First it was rats. Then a pet cat was in the frame. Now cockroaches are suspected of spreading the Sars virus.

Deputy Director of Health Leung Pak-yin said yesterday that the insects may have carried infected waste from sewage pipes into flats in Amoy Gardens' Block E, where 283 residents have fallen ill.

Dr Leung said: 'We believe environmental contamination, such as sewage pipes, is a major factor behind the outbreak in Amoy Gardens. But we also need to control the possible vectors such as cockroaches.

'We are aware many people simply mop the [balcony] platform floor instead of rinsing it with water. So the drain would dry up, which allows cockroaches to crawl into their homes through the pipes.'

He added that using diluted bleach to clean drains could help stop cockroaches entering flats.

Gabriel Leung, community medicine professor at the University of Hong Kong, called on families to maintain good environmental hygiene, especially in summer months when cockroaches breed.

'At this moment, we are uncertain whether cockroaches are the culprit behind the outbreak. We believe the Department of Health is looking into all the possibilities,' he said.

'Rodents and cockroaches are common in Hong Kong. Sewerage system maintenance and pest control are essential, not just for this particular virus. We know food poisoning and cholera are spread through such vectors. The lesson we have learned from this outbreak is that we should take universal precautions [against disease] instead of looking too much into Amoy Gardens.'

There was speculation last Friday that pets could have carried Sars at Amoy Gardens after a cat owned by a Block E family was reported to be carrying a coronavirus, the same virus found in some patients with atypical pneumonia. But Anthony James, director of the animal services centre at Chinese University, cast doubt on the idea, saying there was no evidence the virus could be transmitted from cats to humans.

Earlier, the possibility of rodents transmitting Sars was investigated when the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department placed rat traps at Amoy Gardens to determine whether they had helped to spread the virus.



Cockroaches join cats and rats on Block E's line-up of suspects