World’s second case of rat hepatitis E in humans reported in Hong Kong, two months after local resident revealed as first patient
- Patient, 70, is a retiree who lived in the Wong Tai Sin district, the same area as man in previous case
- Expert says both infections are not linked despite two locations being only 3km apart
A 70-year-old Hong Kong woman was revealed on Monday to be the world’s second case of rat hepatitis E infection in humans, two months after another local resident living 3km (1.9 miles) away was reported as the first patient.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said hours after the news broke that she was very concerned about the emergence of the second case. A local expert involved in the investigation said it was not linked to the first infection despite both patients living in the same district.
Dr Siddharth Sridhar, clinical assistant professor from the University of Hong Kong’s department of microbiology, said the second case proved that the rat hepatitis E virus, which was distantly related to human hepatitis E virus variants, could be transmitted to people.
“If a patient’s immunity is weak, he or she could get infected with this virus,” Sridhar said, but added that there was no need for panic as the case happened last year.
While Chan said rat control measures had been stepped up in Wong Tai Sin, Sridhar suggested that laboratories should conduct specific testing on samples from hepatitis patients to see if the infections were rat-borne.
Not seeing [rodents] did not mean there was no contact
The Department of Health confirmed that the second patient was a retiree with underlying illnesses and a suppressed immune system. It said the woman had developed symptoms including abdominal pain, loss of appetite and malaise since May 1 last year, and was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on May 4. She was discharged four days later and had recovered.