Hong Kong has declared an outbreak of scarlet fever after it claimed the life of at least one child while infecting thousands of others in the teeming territory and elsewhere in China.
A seven-year-old girl died from the illness late last month, while a five-year-old boy in the city died yesterday from what health authorities said was “very likely” a case of scarlet fever.
Hong Kong authorities have recorded 40 new cases in the past few days, pushing the total number to 459 so far this year, the highest annual total in the territory and more than three times the figure for the whole of last year.
The boy — who also had chicken pox — developed a fever on Wednesday last week and was admitted to hospital on Sunday with symptoms of the illness.
His condition deteriorated rapidly and he died yesterday morning, said Thomas Tsang, controller of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection.
Classes have been suspended at the boy’s kindergarten for a week, a first for Hong Kong following a scarlet fever death.
“The situation is rather serious at the moment,” Tsang said. “We are facing an epidemic because the bacteria that is causing scarlet fever is widely circulating in this region — not only in Hong Kong, but in mainland China and Macau.”
Hong Kong radio station RTHK reported that 49 people had contracted the illness in Macau, with nine taken to hospital, but no fatalities.
Tsang said that more than 9,000 people had been infected so far this year in China, doubling the average figure in recent years. He did not say if there were any fatal cases.
“Scarlet fever is in its peak season and may continue to be widespread for a prolonged period of time, possibly the whole summer,” Tsang said.
Scientists said the outbreak could be linked to a deadly new strain of the disease, which could make it more contagious than in the past.
A unique gene fragment was present in the bacteria’s genome, “which might contribute to increased transmissibility of this strain,” a health protection center statement said.
Scarlet fever mainly affects children between the ages of two and eight. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, rashes and a -“strawberry-colored” tongue, and usually subside within 48 hours with appropriate antibiotic treatment.
The new strain, discovered by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, appears to be resistant to antibiotics traditionally used to fight the illness.
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