Rat Hepatitis E: a ‘wake-up call’ for Hong Kong to shape up on public hygiene after man, 56, becomes world’s first person infected with virus
Top HKU microbiologist investigating the case says more time needed to understand why man was infected with virus previously found only in rats and ferrets
Hong Kong has been put on notice to shape up on public hygiene and get rid of rodents, after a male resident became the first person in the world to be infected with a strain of Hepatitis E previously found only in animals such as rats.
The 56-year-old who lives in a public housing estate in eastern Kowloon underwent liver transplant surgery in May last year and was tested for the virus after he displayed recurring liver function problems.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a top microbiologist at Hong Kong University, told a press conference on Friday that the discovery was a “wake-up call” to improve environmental hygiene and prevent rats from breeding.
“We don’t know if in future there will be a serious outbreak of the rat Hepatitis E virus in Hong Kong,” he said. “We need to closely monitor this issue.”
He said the city’s streets were very clean after the deadly outbreak of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003, but public cleanliness appeared to have slipped recently.
