Measles scare: Health authorities seek passengers on Cathay Pacific Hong Kong-Tokyo flight after man contracts contagious disease
- Eleventh case of measles confirmed in city this year with at least seven infections imported
- Authorities seek passengers on Cathay Pacific flight who might have had contact with 23-year-old man
Health authorities on Wednesday were tracking down passengers on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo on March 1 after a man on the plane was found to have contracted measles, a highly contagious airborne disease.
The Centre for Health Protection said a 23-year-old Hongkonger developed a fever on March 1, the day he took CX526 to Narita Airport in Tokyo. He developed full-blown symptoms of measles three days later.
The man, said to be a Cathay Pacific flight attendant, was admitted to St Paul’s Hospital in Causeway Bay after he returned to Hong Kong. The centre said he tested positive for the immunoglobulin M antibody that confirms a measles infection.
He was later declared to be in stable condition and discharged.
The centre’s initial investigation showed the man had no contact with measles patients during the incubation period, which lasts between seven to 21 days. His contacts at home had no symptoms but were put under medical surveillance.