Rapid E.coli-O104 test mooted

June 08, 2011

Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says the Government is considering making the E.coli-O104 infection a notifiable disease.
 
Speaking after attending the Topping Out Ceremony for Tseung Kwan O Hospital's Ambulatory Block today, he said the Government has also broached the development of a diagnostic test for the infection.
 
“With the genetic make-up that is now ascertained, it is not too difficult for us to develop a fast test to make a diagnosis within perhaps a day or a few hours," he said.
 
"We will get information from various institutes regarding the treatment of this disease. If we are going to face a case like that, we will be able to give appropriate treatment and use the case as the first source of tracing of the infection. To know the exposure of the case to various food items is very important in an investigation of infection like this.”
 
Meanwhile, tests are being conducted on an antibiotic believed to be tainted with a plasticiser.
 
The test results on Augmentin, supplied to Hong Kong by France and the UK, are expected soon.
 
“According to the information given to the Department of Health, testing in Taiwan has not yet validated that the antibiotic actually contains the plasticiser. So we have to go back to the suppliers to see whether they have any evidence these drugs are contaminated.”