Hong Kong has advised travelers to wear surgical masks and seek immediate medical attention if they develop respiratory symptoms as fears spread about a mysterious outbreak said to be brought by visitors from a mainland Chinese city.
In a report by The Guardian, Hong Kong authorities have moved the response level to “serious” as rumors are spreading about visitors bringing the virus from Wuhan City in China.
An undetermined viral pneumonia has reportedly affected over 40 people last December in Wuhan, an inland Chinese city about 900 kilometers north of Hong Kong. The outbreak has brought back the fear from the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic that killed thousands around the world.
The Guardian added in its report that the serious-response level—the second highest in a three-tier system of response to infectious diseases of unknown causes—was activated on January 4, and has moderately impacted Hong Kong’s population of 7.5 million people.
An additional thermal imaging system has also been added at Hong Kong’s airport to check the body temperature of arriving passengers, and some of the staff have also been assign for temperature checks at rail stations that connects Hong Kong to mainland China.
According to the Wuhan Health Commission, around 11 of the diagnosed Wuhan residents have reached critical status as of January 3. All patients are now in isolation, while over 120 others suspected of being in close contact with them are put under close observation.
The Guardian reported that a lot of the cases of the mysterious pneumonia have been traced to the South China Seafood City food market in Wuhan, which reportedly sells wild animals that can carry dangerous viruses to humans. According to the commission, the market has since been disinfected.
Some of the symptoms most victims of the yet-to-be-determined virus show include fever, shortness of breath, and lung infections. The authorities added that the latest cases in Hong Kong are two women aged 12 and 41, who had been to Wuhan in the past two weeks but did seem to have been near the food market. They are now in stable condition and are being treated in isolation at Princess Margaret Hospital.
