A seven-year-old boy admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital  on March 8 with serious encephalitis and brain swelling has died.

The Hospital Authority said he passed away at noon today. Expressing deep condolences to his family, the hospital will keep in close communication and extend all necessary support to them.

The case will be referred to the Coroner.

The Tuen Mun boy visited the hospital's emergency ward on March 6 after suffering two days of fever and coughing for a week. Hospital paediatrician Dr Lam Shu-yan yesterday said chest X-rays were clear at the time with no symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis, so the boy was discharged.

Dr Lam said the boy was in a confused state when admitted to the hospital two days later and tests found he had serious encephalitis and brain swelling.

Preliminary tests for influenza A and B are negative and more tests are being conducted, Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Thomas Tsang said.

School surveillance

The boy's school reported an upper respiratory infection outbreak on March 4. About 20 to 30 students came down with a cough, runny nose and fever.

Dr Tsang said the centre has put the school under daily surveillance. The centre will follow up each case and an update will be available today. Dr Tsang also said the centre and the Education Bureau visited the school and provided health advice to its staff yesterday.

When asked if school closures will be imposed, Dr Tsang said more justification is needed as this flu season is similar to the previous two years. While not ruling out the possibility of closing a particular school, Dr Tsang said it would depend on the outbreak situation, the severity of the illness, its infectiousness and social concern.

Girl's death probed

Regarding the three-year-old girl who died recently at the hospital, Dr Tsang said interim autopsy results found abnormal fat deposits in her internal organs unrelated to flu.

He said the possibility of an underlying cause of her death is now being studied, such as hidden illnesses the girl may have been harbouring which may have been triggered by a viral infection.

The centre yesterday received nine new reports of institutional outbreaks of flu-like illness involving 52 people at three kindergartens and six schools.

The hospital also reported three men and a woman patient in a mixed medical ward have come down with fever and flu-like illness since March 3. Three have tested positive for influenza-B and have been isolated. They are in stable condition.