The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that Macau started to see a higher number of norovirus infections in the second half of last month, reminding the public that the city is currently experiencing a peak of infections of the virus which causes the stomach flu.
The statement noted that the bureau has received details of “many” cases of collective viral gastroenteritis, colloquially known as stomach flu, over recent weeks, urging residents and institutions to take preventive measures.
The statement said that according to the bureau’s monitoring data, Macau has now entered a peak of infections of the norovirus. Since the second half of last month, the statement said, the city has been recording an increasing number of norovirus infections.
In the eighth week of this year, i.e., between February 19 and 25, the bureau recorded 29 cases of norovirus infections, while 32 cases were recorded in the ninth week (between February 26 and March 4), i.e., last week, according to the statement.
The statement said that the 61 cases recorded in the eighth and ninth weeks represented a “significant” increase from the previous two weeks, during which the bureau recorded seven cases in the sixth week, while two cases were reported in the seventh week.
Moreover, the statement also said that the bureau has recorded 11 cases of collective viral gastroenteritis since the beginning of last month, which primarily occurred in day nurseries, kindergartens and primary schools.
According to the statement, the results of the bureau’s laboratory tests showed that five of the 11 cases were caused by the norovirus, while three cases tested negative for the norovirus, and the other three cases’ tests were still being carried out.
The statement said that according to the bureau’s monitoring data in previous years, Macau normally experiences a peak of norovirus infections between January and March. The bureau is closely monitoring the latest development of norovirus infections in the city, the statement underlined.
The statement also noted that the norovirus is one of the common causes of viral gastroenteritis, adding that schools, residential care homes for senior citizens, and other collective residential venues are very likely to be hit by an outbreak of norovirus infections.
The statement pointed out that norovirus transmission channels include having eaten food or drunk water contaminated by the virus, having been in contact with patients’ vomit or faeces, as well as items contaminated by the virus. The incubation period of viral gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus normally ranges between 24 and 48 hours, the statement noted.
The statement noted that those infected with the norovirus will normally come down with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and mild fever.
The statement also noted that viral gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus is a self-limiting disease which normally lasts between one and five days.
According to specialist websites, those with a self-limiting (aka self-recovering) disease can recover with the provision of supportive treatment, i.e., symptomatic treatment which merely aims to relieve the symptoms.
The statement said that it is unusual for norovirus patients to develop complications.
The statement also said that day nurseries, schools, and collective residential venues that are affected by collective gastroenteritis should immediately call the Health Bureau’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on 2856 1122 for follow-up measures.
Details in English on the prevention of norovirus infection can be checked at the website of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), an agency under Hong Kong’s Department of Health (DH), https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/33.html.
