Extra mosquito control measures will occur in areas visited by the patient. Photo: SCMPThe city’s second imported Zika case was confirmed in a 56-year-old man yesterday, prompting the government to implement extra mosquito control measures.
The patient received treatment in isolation in the North District Hospital.
The man, who lives in San Tin, Yuen Long, had travelled alone to New York, Antigua and Barbuda, St Maarten and Anguilla. He was in New York and Central America between October 13 and November 8, then returned to Hong Kong from New York via Chicago on November 10. He developed a fever on November 8, and a rash and had diarrhoea last Friday.
The man first sought medical help from Sha Tau Kok general outpatient clinic two days after arriving in Hong Kong, and was referred to the North District Hospital on the same day.
Blood and urine samples were collected on the day of admission and were confirmed to have tested positive for Zika by the centre’s laboratory yesterday afternoon.
According to initial investigations, the man recalled he was bitten by mosquitoes during his stay in Antigua and Barbuda. The Caribbean islands he visited had been classified by the World Health Organization as areas with Zika outbreaks since last year.
“Those who are planning to go to areas affected by Zika must take preventive measures,” Dr Wong Ka-hing, controller for the Centre for Health Protection, said.
After his return, the patient mainly stayed at his home in Yan Shau Wai in San Tin, with one trip made to San Fung Avenue, Sheung Shui, on Saturday when he visited the clinic.
Lee Ming-wai, pest control officer-in-charge from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said extra mosquito control measures would be taken at places visited by the patient.
The city’s first Zika case, which was reported in late August, involved a 38-year-old expatriate woman, who reported having joint pains and red eyes after visiting the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy.