First case of group C rotavirus found in Hong Kong
發佈日期: 2025-06-02 22:14
TVB News
The Centre for Health Protection has completed its investigation into acute gastroenteritis cases involving three oncologists at Princess Margaret Hospital.
One of the doctors passed away. The centre said the three doctors' cases were not related.
Infectious diseases expert Yuen Kwok-yung said group C rotavirus was found in the deceased.
Led by Yuen Kwok-yung, the Department of Microbiology's expert team at the University of Hong Kong detected group C rotavirus in five tissue samples from the deceased doctor.
But the virus was not found in the stool samples of the other two doctors.
While the team said a direct relationship between group C rotavirus and the cause of death remained uncertain, it was the first time the virus was detected in Hong Kong.
The Centre for Health Protection says rotavirus is divided into groups, including A, B and C, with symptoms being fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Group A rotavirus is predominant and mainly affects children under the age of five.
Yuen Kwok-yung said group C is a rare type of rotavirus across the globe.
He said Hong Kong had rarely tested for the virus, which was why medical authorities were unaware of the situation.
Yuen, meanwhile, said a 29-year-old woman was also found to have been infected with group C rotavirus after tests were conducted on more than 900 faecal samples collected from Princess Margaret Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
He said the possibility of a community outbreak is low and urged the public to maintain good hygiene.
