Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from Septicaemic shock

[Giuseppe]

Hong Kong: CHP investigating death of a Hong Kong boy in Kuala Lumpur (2/2/2009) [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is liaising with the Malaysian health authority about the cause of a Hong Kong boy's death in Kuala Lumpur, including the possibility that he died of an infectious disease.


A CHP spokesman today (February 2) said that CHP had contacted the deceased boy's relatives in Hong Kong for a history of his illness.

According to the information provided, the six-year-old boy developed fever and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection on January 21 in Hong Kong.

He consulted a private doctor and was given some medications.

He flew to Malaysia on January 25.

The child's illness seemed to have subsided until he experienced knee pain and swelling on January 28.

He was seen by a doctor in Penang on January 29. The boy travelled with his family on flight CX720 from Penang to Hong Kong on the morning of January 31.

During the flight's scheduled transit in Kuala Lumpur, the boy was found to be increasingly unwell and was taken to a medical clinic in Kuala Lumpur.

He passed away a few hours later.

While awaiting confirmation from the Malaysian health authority about the nature of the disease, the spokesman said, ''As a precautionary measure, the CHP is contacting the child's family and will follow up on travel companions having close contact with the child to assess their health condition, provide health advice and put them under medical surveillance.''

Members of the public are advised to observe good personal and food hygiene when travelling abroad:
*Travelling should be avoided if you are having a fever or feeling unwell.
*Keep hands clean at all times. Wash hands with liquid soap after going to the toilet, before meals or handling food, and after touching public installations or equipment.

Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth; if unavoidable, wash hands before touching them.

If hand washing facilities are not available, clean hands with a disinfectant containing alcohol.

*Have masks handy and put one on if developing symptoms of a respiratory tract infection.
*If you develop symptoms of an infection, such as fever and diarrhoea, after the trip, consult a doctor promptly and provide details of recent travel to facilitate accurate diagnosis.
-

View Original Article

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Undiagnosed fatal illness, Malaysia ex Hong Kong, follow up for travellers (flight CX720 Penang to HK)

Re: Undiagnosed fatal illness, Malaysia ex Hong Kong, follow up for travellers (flight CX720 Penang to HK)

Source: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=77739&sid=22517679&con_type=1

Cathay alert as boy dies from mystery illness

Timothy Chui

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Mystery surrounds the illness that killed a six-year-old Hong Kong boy within hours as he flew home from holiday in Malaysia.

Last night, the Centre for Health Protection did not rule out the possibility of infectious disease as doctors described the rapid deterioration of the boy's condition as rare.

Medical sector legislator Leung Ka- lau and infectious disease specialist Lo Wing-lok said the Department of Health and Cathay Pacific Airways should try to alert those on Saturday's 7.45am flight CX720 from Penang, which was carrying 166 passengers.

Cathay Pacific defended its decision not to inform passengers at the time that there may have been an infections disease on board, citing the need for confirmation by the Port Health Office of the Department of Health.

A spokesman said issuing a warning each time symptoms of a possible infectious disease arose would cause bedlam, but he added that Cathay will review its procedures.

The center said the boy developed a fever and the symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection in Hong Kong on January 21.

The boy consulted a private doctor and was given medication before flying to Malaysia on January 25.

He appeared to be recovering until he experienced knee pain and swelling on January 28.

He was seen by a doctor in Penang the following day.

During the return flight to Hong Kong, the aircraft made a stopover in Kuala Lumpur where the boy again complained of feeling unwell and was taken to a city clinic where he lost consciousness and died shortly after.

Health authorities in Hong Kong and Malaysia are trying to identify the cause of his death.

Lo said a bacterial infection or even a combination of bacteria and viruses may have been to blame.

When asked whether other passengers may have been infected, he said this depended on how virulent the bacteria were.

He added that the incubation period could be about two weeks and advised those on the flight who may have developed symptoms to see a doctor and inform the Department of Health.

A postmortem examination on the boy was scheduled to be conducted in Malaysia yesterday.

 

[Diane Morin]

Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from Septicaemic shock

Cathay alert as boy dies from mystery illness

<!-- Mystery surrounds the illness that killed a six-year-old Hong Kong boy within hours as he flew home from holiday in Malaysia.

//-->Timothy Chui

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Mystery surrounds the illness that killed a six-year-old Hong Kong boy within hours as he flew home from holiday in Malaysia.

Last night, the Centre for Health Protection did not rule out the possibility of infectious disease as doctors described the rapid deterioration of the boy's condition as rare.

Medical sector legislator Leung Ka- lau and infectious disease specialist Lo Wing-lok said the Department of Health and Cathay Pacific Airways should try to alert those on Saturday's 7.45am flight CX720 from Penang, which was carrying 166 passengers.

Cathay Pacific defended its decision not to inform passengers at the time that there may have been an infections disease on board, citing the need for confirmation by the Port Health Office of the Department of Health.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=9 width=250 align=right border=0 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD><CENTER>

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>document.context='YjozM3w='; </SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT></CENTER>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>A spokesman said issuing a warning each time symptoms of a possible infectious disease arose would cause bedlam, but he added that Cathay will review its procedures.

The center said the boy developed a fever and the symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection in Hong Kong on January 21.

The boy consulted a private doctor and was given medication before flying to Malaysia on January 25.

He appeared to be recovering until he experienced knee pain and swelling on January 28.
He was seen by a doctor in Penang the following day.

During the return flight to Hong Kong, the aircraft made a stopover in Kuala Lumpur where the boy again complained of feeling unwell and was taken to a city clinic where he lost consciousness and died shortly after.
Health authorities in Hong Kong and Malaysia are trying to identify the cause of his death.

Lo said a bacterial infection or even a combination of bacteria and viruses may have been to blame.

When asked whether other passengers may have been infected, he said this depended on how virulent the bacteria were.

He added that the incubation period could be about two weeks and advised those on the flight who may have developed symptoms to see a doctor and inform the Department of Health.

A postmortem examination on the boy was scheduled to be conducted in Malaysia yesterday.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=77739&sid=22517679&con_type=1

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Undiagnosed fatal illness, Malaysia ex Hong Kong, follow up for travellers (flight CX720 Penang to HK)

Re: Undiagnosed fatal illness, Malaysia ex Hong Kong, follow up for travellers (flight CX720 Penang to HK)

Hong Kong: Update on Hong Kong boy who died in Kuala Lumpur (2/3/2009) [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (February 3) received from the Malaysian health authorities the findings of the post-mortem on the Hong Kong boy who died in Kuala Lumpur on January 31.


The certified cause of death of the boy was septicaemic shock secondary to Group A Streptococcal infection, a spokesman for the CHP said.

Group A Streptococcus is a common human pathogen that causes skin and soft tissue infection, sore throat and other forms of sepsis.

It is transmitted through large respiratory droplets or direct contact with an infected patient.

Infections caused by Group A Streptococcus can be treated by antibiotics.

Septicaemic shock is one of the rare and severe complications of Group A Streptococcus infection.

Meanwhile, the CHP has contacted the nine travel companions who had close contact with the child and assessed their health condition.

All of them were asymptomatic.

They have been put under medical surveillance.

Staff of the CHP and Education Bureau today visited the school which the boy attended. No unusual sickness pattern was found in the school. Health advice had been provided to the school's management.
-

View Original Article

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from mystery illness

Re: Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from mystery illness

Hong Kong: Update on Hong Kong boy who died in Kuala Lumpur (2/3/2009) [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (February 3) received from the Malaysian health authorities the findings of the post-mortem on the Hong Kong boy who died in Kuala Lumpur on January 31.


The certified cause of death of the boy was septicaemic shock secondary to Group A Streptococcal infection, a spokesman for the CHP said.

Group A Streptococcus is a common human pathogen that causes skin and soft tissue infection, sore throat and other forms of sepsis.

It is transmitted through large respiratory droplets or direct contact with an infected patient.

Infections caused by Group A Streptococcus can be treated by antibiotics.

Septicaemic shock is one of the rare and severe complications of Group A Streptococcus infection.

Meanwhile, the CHP has contacted the nine travel companions who had close contact with the child and assessed their health condition.

All of them were asymptomatic.

They have been put under medical surveillance.

Staff of the CHP and Education Bureau today visited the school which the boy attended. No unusual sickness pattern was found in the school. Health advice had been provided to the school's management.
-

View Original Article

 

[Diane Morin]

Re: Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from Septicaemic shock

(Media-Newswire.com) - The Centre for Health Protection ( CHP ) of the Department of Health is liaising with the Malaysian health authority about the cause of a Hong Kong boy's death in Kuala Lumpur, including the possibility that he died of an infectious disease.

A CHP spokesman today ( February 2 ) said that CHP had contacted the deceased boy's relatives in Hong Kong for a history of his illness.

According to the information provided, the six-year-old boy developed fever and symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection on January 21 in Hong Kong. He consulted a private doctor and was given some medications. He flew to Malaysia on January 25. The child’s illness seemed to have subsided until he experienced knee pain and swelling on January 28. He was seen by a doctor in Penang on January 29.

The boy travelled with his family on flight CX720 from Penang to Hong Kong on the morning of January 31. During the flight's scheduled transit in Kuala Lumpur, the boy was found to be increasingly unwell and was taken to a medical clinic in Kuala Lumpur. He passed away a few hours later.

While awaiting confirmation from the Malaysian health authority about the nature of the disease, the spokesman said, “As a precautionary measure, the CHP is contacting the child's family and will follow up on travel companions having close contact with the child to assess their health condition, provide health advice and put them under medical surveillance.”

Members of the public are advised to observe good personal and food hygiene when travelling abroad:

* Travelling should be avoided if you are having a fever or feeling unwell.

* Keep hands clean at all times. Wash hands with liquid soap after going to the toilet, before meals or handling food, and after touching public installations or equipment. Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth; if unavoidable, wash hands before touching them. If hand washing facilities are not available, clean hands with a disinfectant containing alcohol.

* Have masks handy and put one on if developing symptoms of a respiratory tract infection.

* If you develop symptoms of an infection, such as fever and diarrhoea, after the trip, consult a doctor promptly and provide details of recent travel to facilitate accurate diagnosis.

http://media-newswire.com/release_1085460.html

 

[Diane Morin]

Re: Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from Septicaemic shock

Probe into death of HK boy on Penang flight

HONG KONG, Feb 3 — Health officials in Kuala Lumpur are investigating the death of a six-year-old Hong Kong boy who died within six hours of being taken ill on a Cathay Pacific flight.

The boy was returning to Hong Kong from the Malaysian resort of Penang on Flight CX270 on Saturday after spending the Lunar New Year holiday with his parents and six relatives.

Shortly after the flight took off from Penang at 7.45am, he developed rashes on his body and a swelling to his left leg.

When the plane stopped at Kuala Lumpur, his mother took the boy to the airport clinic. His father and other family members continued the journey to Hong Kong, as they had to be home to resume work. Before they landed at 1.35pm, the boy was declared dead in the clinic.

The father was told of his son's death by Cathay Pacific staff and arranged to return to Kuala Lumpur immediately.

A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection said: "According to the information provided, the six-year-old boy developed a fever and symptoms of upper-respiratory-tract infection on Jan 21 in Hong Kong. He consulted a private doctor and was given some medication."

The spokesman said the boy's illness seemed to have subsided until he experienced knee pain and swelling last Wednesday. He was seen by a doctor in Penang the next day. — South China Morning Post


http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/17464-probe-into-death-of-hk-boy-on-penang-flight

 

[Diane Morin]

Re: Cathay Pacific Airways alert as boy dies from Septicaemic shock

Cathay says SARS worse than current crisis

Tue Feb 3, 2009 8:24am EST

<SCRIPT language=javascript> var storyKeywords = "CATHAY SARS"; var RTR_ArticleTitle = "Cathay says SARS worse than current crisis"; var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific (0293.HK) Chief Executive Tony Tyler on Tuesday said the impact of SARS on the airline was worse than the global economic crisis. But Tyler added that the impact of the economic crisis would last much..."; </SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=javascript>addImpression("460347_Article Tools");</SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>var showComments = false;var allowSLCall = false; function singlePageView() { document.location.href = ReplaceQueryStringParam(document.location.href, "sp", "true"); } function replaceString(oldS, newS, fullS) { // Replaces oldS with newS in the string fullS for (var i = 0; i < fullS.length; i++) { if (fullS.substring(i, i + oldS.length) == oldS) { fullS = fullS.substring(0, i) + newS + fullS.substring(i + oldS.length, fullS.length); } } return fullS; } </SCRIPT>
MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific (0293.HK) Chief Executive Tony Tyler on Tuesday said the impact of SARS on the airline was worse than the global economic crisis.

But Tyler added that the impact of the economic crisis would last much longer than that of SARS.

"Sars was worse in that passenger levels collapsed. But equally, we knew it wasn't going to last forever," Tyler said during a conference in Madrid. "We now have lower yields and lower prices and that's helping a lot maintaining the overall financial positions."

(Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Andrew Hay)

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSL342876320090203