A Hong Kong hospital has contacted the parents of 31 babies after a nurse in its neonatal intensive care unit was diagnosed with Tuberculosis.
The United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong announced yesterday that a nurse – who first reported coughing symptoms in February but was only diagnosed with Mycobacterium Tuberculosis after her test results came back on Wednesday – is now, finally, on sick leave.
The hospital has contacted the parents of 23 babies who had close contact with staff during the nurses’s time of illness, as well as the parents of eight babies who did not have close contact with staff, but whose child’s medical conditions are “complicated”.
In a joint assessment between Hong Kong’s Department of Health, respiratory specialists and microbiologists, however, the risk of the infection having spread was not deemed to be high.
The nurse in question is said to have had a largely hands-off advisory role and wore a mask while on duty.
As a precaution, a 24-hour hotline (5215-2255) has been set up for those concerned.
No doubt the nurse went through Hong Kong’s public health system, which is why she had to wait so long for her test results.
Ironic really.
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