Hong Kong records a peak in cases with 25-year high in Japan
The Centre for Health Protection is appealing to lovers of raw seafood to observe good personal hygiene amid a spreading norovirus outbreak in Japan and a rising number of cases in Hong Kong.
In Osaka, the Chinese consulate warned travellers on Monday to avoid consuming raw seafood in Japan, where the number of patients has hit a 25-year high.
Hong Kong is now experiencing its winter peak for norovirus infections, according to the centre's controller, Leung Pak-yin. It has recorded an increase in such infections over the past two months, many occurring in homes for the elderly.
'Homes for the elderly are high-risk areas where people stay close together. Schools are also high-risk places,' Dr Leung said.
Norovirus is a common cause of sporadic acute gastroenteritis cases, and outbreaks of food poisoning and acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, low-grade fever and malaise. The symptoms usually last for 12 to 60 hours.