the hong kong centre for health protection announced on 18 october that it had received notification from the hospital authority in the past 40 days that 79 patients had been admitted to hospital with invasive streptococcus b, a significant increase over the past three years.
the hong kong hospital authority said seven of the 79 cases of infection had resulted in deaths, 38 hospitalizations and 34 discharges.
according to infectious disease specialists , the mortality rate is between 6.5% and 11% , and the mortality rate in hong kong is similar to the historical record .
it was this deadly germ that brought them down
the hong kong centre for health protection announced earlier that between september and october 10 this year, there were 79 cases of invasive streptococcus b infection involving 42 men and 37 women aged between 1 month and 96 years, mainly sepsis, meningitis, purulent arthritis or abscess/cellular tissueitis.
investigations revealed that some patients had been exposed to freshwater fish, including herring, before their illness, and some of them reported having wounds to their hands or causing infection when handling uncooked freshwater fish.
THE CHP COLLECTED ENVIRONMENTAL AND FISH SAMPLES FROM YANGYA ROAD MARKET IN TSUEN WAN AND YUEN LONG”, WHICH SOME PATIENTS HAD VISITED, AND TESTED THEM ON THE SEROTYPE 3 GENOTYPE 283 (ST283), WHICH CORRESPONDED TO A MINIMUM OF 32 CASES.
infectious and infectious disease specialist lin weisheng said that invasive streptococcus b is a common bacteria, but few outbreaks occur, patients are usually individual pregnant women or newborn babies, such as the early stages of pregnancy in the urinary system found invasive streptococcus b, doctors will prescribe antibiotics to reduce the impact on the fetus.
another route of infection is to eat or treat undercooked freshwater fish. because the bacteria is drug-resistant, it is not difficult to treat, but if the brain is infected and there is inflammation, a high dose of antibiotics should be prescribed, or up to 1 to 2 months.
once invasive streptococcus b enters the blood, it can destroy different organs of the human body, leading to sepsis, meningitis, etc., serious can be fatal.
BUT AT FIRST, IT’S “GENTLE.” TAKE ST283 B STREPTOCOCCUS AS AN EXAMPLE, AT THE BEGINNING PEOPLE ONLY FEEL A LITTLE FEVER, PHYSICAL DISCOMFORT, AND NO PARTICULARLY VIOLENT PERFORMANCE.
by the end of the day, a person’s cervical spine, spine, joints, ankles, etc. may be invaded, causing serious infections, or even bone necrosis amputation or death. if it is parasitic in a pregnant woman for a long time, it may also induce meningitis in the baby.
singapore has also been “exploded”
the united nations agriculture organization issued a warning
in fact, the emergence of streptococcus b in hong kong is not the first time in the world that it has been found. as early as 2015, singapore’s national environment agency announced.
of the 355 cases of infection in singapore at the time, 150 were suspected of being infected by eating sashimi, two of which were fatal and one was amputated.
on 5 december of that year, singapore announced an indefinite ban on the sale of freshwater fish sashimi by retailers such as vendors and buffet suppliers, which could be suspended.
at present, in addition to hong kong, laos, thailand, vietnam and other southeast asian countries have also found cases of streptococcus b invasion infection.
AMONG THEM, INVASIVE ST283 B STREPTOCOCCUS IN THAILAND AND LAOS, THE PROPORTION OF INFECTED PEOPLE IS AS HIGH AS 70%. MOREOVER, MORE THAN 20% OF INFECTIONS ARE IN HEALTHY ADULTS WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS.
the united nations agricultural organization has issued a warning against eating tilapia, a freshwater fish widely consumed in south-east asia.
wear gloves when handling seafood
it will be cooked before eating
in order to avoid the drag of streptococcus b, experts recommend that we avoid raw freshwater fish, should be extra careful, must be thoroughly cooked before eating.
in addition, when handling seafood fish and shrimp, wear gloves and avoid contact with raw fish with your bare hands. people with wounds in their hands and immune problems should take extra care. if a wound occurs inadvertently, it should be properly disinfected and treated immediately, and do not delay medical treatment.
as long as you take adequate precautions, you need not worry too much.
