HK probes deadly bug at government offices

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow speaks to the press in Hong Kong yesterday about the bacteria found in the government complex

Hong Kong officials said yesterday the discovery of a bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease at the new government complex at the harbourfront was “under control”, while it was probing the source of the deadly bug.
The findings came after the city’s education minister was hospitalised for nearly two weeks due to the potentially fatal disease. The bacteria found in a tap in his office washroom was about 14 times over the acceptable amount.
“Overall the situation is under control,” health chief York Chow told a news conference, saying the water tanks and more than 1,000 water outlets inside the complex have been cleaned and disinfected.
Authorities have said earlier water samples taken from the main water tanks have tested negative for Legionella, allaying fears of a possible outbreak of the severe form of pneumonia.
The top health official dismissed the claims that a rush to move into the buildings, launched last August, has compromised its sanitisation work.
“There is no evidence to show the moving in schedule of our bureaus into this building is the cause of this particular discovery,” said Chow.
“We have only one patient so far, and the discovery of this bacteria has yet to be concluded,” said Chow, adding that health authorities need more time to investigate how the bacteria got into the buildings.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by bacteria that grow in water, particularly warm environments such as hot tubs, hot water tanks, plumbing systems and air-conditioning systems.