Infection of healthcare workers despite a high vaccination rate during the fifth wave of COVID-19 due to Omicron variant in Hong Kong.

Background: No nosocomial infection was recorded in our healthcare workers (HCWs) during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With the emergence of the Omicron variant of increased transmissibility, infection in HCWs occurred as expected. We aimed to study the epidemiology of infection in HCWs and to describe the infection control measures during the outbreak of the Omicron variant.

Evolution and Control of COVID-19 Epidemic in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong SAR has adopted universal masking, social distancing, testing of all symptomatic and high-risk groups for isolation of confirmed cases in healthcare facilities, and quarantine of contacts as epidemiological control measures without city lockdown or border closure. These measures successfully suppressed the community transmission of pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants or lineages during the first to the fourth wave. No nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infection was documented among healthcare workers in the first 300 days.

Gastrointestinal Colonization of Carbapenem-Resistant : What Is the Implication for Infection Control?

The epidemiology of patients with gastrointestinal colonization of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has not been systematically analyzed. We aimed to analyze the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of patients with newly identified gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB in a healthcare region in Hong Kong, where a multi-pronged screening strategy for gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB, together with other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), was conducted by collecting fecal specimens (rectal swab or stool) upon admission and during hospitalization. From 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2019, a total of 161,339 fecal specimens from 63,588 patients, 61,856 (97.

Air dispersal of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): Implications for hospital infection control during the fifth wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in Hong Kong.

We obtained 24 air samples in 8 general wards temporarily converted into negative-pressure wards admitting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant BA.2.2 in Hong Kong.

Decreased Antibiotic Consumption Coincided with Reduction in Bacteremia Caused by Bacterial Species with Respiratory Transmission Potential during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020−2021) have provided a unique opportunity to understand their impact on the wholesale supply of antibiotics and incidences of infections represented by bacteremia due to common bacterial species in Hong Kong. The wholesale antibiotic supply data (surrogate indicator of antibiotic consumption) and notifications of scarlet fever, chickenpox, and tuberculosis collected by the Centre for Health Protection, and the data of blood cultures of patients admitted to public hospitals in Hong Kong collected by the Hospital Authority for the last 10 years, were tabulated and analyzed. A reduction in the wholesale supply of antibiotics was observed.

Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Infection in a Child With Encephalitis Complicated by Obstructive Hydrocephalus.

A 2-year-old boy with highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection with minimal respiratory symptoms developed encephalitis complicated by obstructive hydrocephalus. Viral RNA was detectable in cerebrospinal fluid. The virus belonged to H5N1 clade 2.

Look-back investigation of a health care worker infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

We report the referral of an HIV-infected surgeon and a subsequent first-ever recommended look-back investigation in Hong Kong. Efficient coordination and effective implementation of the look-back investigation yielded a high response rate of 92.3% of priority patients, with none tested HIV positive.

Risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Hong Kong.

Objectives: The risk factors for community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection were not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with CA-MRSA infection in Hong Kong.

Methods: We carried out a matched case control study.

Surveillance of gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility resulting in early detection of emerging resistance.

Objectives: To undertake laboratory and clinical surveillance of gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility to various therapeutic agents in Hong Kong, so as to monitor for emerging resistance and to inform on appropriate choice of empirical therapy.

Methods: Trends in susceptibility of gonococci to ceftriaxone, spectinomycin, ceftibuten and azithromycin were monitored over time. Isolates with reduced susceptibility to oral extended-spectrum cephalosporins were further characterized by detection of the mosaic penA gene and typing by Neisseria gonorrhoeae multi-antigen sequence typing (NG-MAST).

Changing epidemiology of rotavirus G-types circulating in Hong Kong, China.

Group A rotaviruses are the most common cause of severe diarrhoeal disease in young children worldwide. The development of a vaccine is advocated by the World Health Organization. Obtaining local baseline information regarding rotavirus strain variation is important to ensure matching of circulating and vaccine strains.