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| The Filipina was diagnosed at Tseung Kwan O Hospital where she remains in isolation |
Hong Kong's Health Department has confirmed in a statement
issued earlier today that it is investigating a leprosy case which earlier news
reports said involved a Filipina domestic helper who was diagnosed with the
infectious disease in May, shortly after arriving from the Philippines.
At the same time, the Centre for Health Protection
by the DH reiterated that the transmission risk of leprosy is low in Hong Kong
and the disease does not spread easily among people.
Senior welfare officer Marilou Sumalinog of the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration told The SUN that the case has
already been reported to them, but the hospital where she is admitted has yet
to allow them to visit the patient.
“We are still awaiting clearance so that she can be
repatriated the soonest,” said Sumalinog in a chat message.
But before that, she said OWWA will have to discuss
with her doctors the possible treatment protocol for the patient once she is discharged.
According to the CHP statement, the 30-year-old
patient who had good past health, developed a skin rash on her arm in early May,
and when she attended Tseung Kwan O for medical treatment on May 23 she was
admitted for treatment. Laboratory tests on her skin specimen showed she has
leprosy.
Some news reports said her positive diagnosis for
leprosy was released on June 14. They also said the patient had other symptoms,
like swelling of the limbs, that she ended up being admitted to hospital.
CHP said she remains in stable condition at the hospital.
The CHP said initial inquiries revealed that the
patient stayed in the Philippines during the incubation period before arriving
in Hong Kong in late April.
Her home contacts in Hong Kong are said to be currently
asymptomatic but are under medical surveillance.
CHP’s investigations are ongoing.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic
infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae, which can
be transmitted by nasal droplets or by close skin contact.
But the CHP stressed that the disease will only be
transmitted through prolonged and close contact over months to years with an untreated
leprosy patient. Patients stop transmitting the disease as soon as they start treatment.
The disease does not spread easily between people
through casual contact with a leprosy patient, such as shaking hands or
hugging, sharing meals or sitting next to each other. Also, the disease does
not spread through sex or pass to the fetus during pregnancy.
The CHP’s emphasis on leprosy not being easily
transmitted appeared to be in response to news that the Filipina’s employer has
been experiencing serious anxiety after learning about her helper’s ailment.
Her concerns have reportedly caused a stir about the
safety protocols for hiring FDHs and compensation by the employment agency that
brokered the employment.
Her employer, referred to in reports as Mrs Lee, was said to be distressed because the helper had been living in close proximity
with her family, including a five-year-old child.
While her family members have all been cleared of
the disease, they remain afraid as leprosy is known for its long incubation
period, which can last up to 20 years.
Despite CHP’s assurance about the low risk of
transmitting the disease, the management of the residential complex where the
Lees resided has posted notices, advising residents to seek medical attention
if they feel unwell or develop symptoms.
In the meantime, Mrs Lee has reportedly been in
dispute with the employment agency that placed the helper with them, especially
in regards to recovering the placement fee that she paid, as well as the
medical expenses she incurred.
However, the agency has refused to return the full
service fee and offered only a partial refund. It also proposed to educate Mrs
Lee on the low risk of leprosy transmission, and provide disinfection services
for her home.
The agency also showed a medical clearance for the
helper, which was issued by a doctor prior to her deployment in Hong Kong. The
clearance covers tests for other infectious diseases like Hepatitis B and HIV,
but not for leprosy.
But while leprosy is a notifiable infectious disease
in Hong Kong the number of case reported has decline significantly from more
than 100 in the early 1970s to between 20 and 30 in the early 1990s. Between
2014 and 2023, the number of reported cases ranged between one to nine cases
annually.
Worldwide, according to the World Health
Organization (WHO), leprosy occurs in more than 120 countries, with more than
200,000 new cases reported every year.
In countries like Brazil, India and Indonesia, more
than 10,000 new cases each year from 2018 to 2022, while some countries like
the Philippines, Nepal, Myanmar, etc reported 1,000 to 10,000 new cases each
year during the same period.
For more information about leprosy, please visit the
CHP webpage featuring leprosy at www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/107984.html.
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