The Health Bureau (SSM) has announced that an 80-year-old local man inflicted with chronic diseases is in a serious condition after being infected with influenza.
According to an SSM statement on Friday, the man, who normally lives in the mainland, came down with a fever and cough on July 8 when he was in the mainland.
The man returned to Macau on Sunday last week, the statement said, adding that as his symptoms persisted, he sought treatment at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre the next day where he was hospitalised.
The patient tested positive for the influenza A virus and a scan showed that he was suffering from double pneumonia, because of which he was diagnosed with influenza A complicated with pneumonia, the statement said.
The statement said that the patient came down with respiratory failure on Wednesday last week, because of which he was put on a ventilator, after which he was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) on Friday.
He was in a serious condition at the time of Friday’s statement.
The statement said that the patient had not received a seasonal influenza jab. His wife also felt unwell but has meanwhile recovered, the statement said.
The public hospital reported the case to the Health Bureau on Friday.
7-year-old boy has meningitis
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau announced in a separate statement on Friday that a seven-year-old local boy has been infected with enterovirus, complicated with meningitis.
Meningitis is the acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges.
According to the statement, the boy visited Guangzhou with his family members between July 7 and 15, during which he came down with a low-grade fever and headache on Sunday last week when he also vomited.
The statement said that his symptoms worsened on Monday last week, adding that after returning to Macau that day, he was immediately taken by his family members to the emergency department of the private Kiang Wu Hospital for treatment where he was hospitalised.
On Thursday last week, the statement said, the boy tested positive for enterovirus and was diagnosed with enterovirus infection complicated with meningitis.
The boy was still undergoing treatment at the hospital and was in a stable condition at the time of Friday’s statement. None of his family members had come down with similar symptoms.
The boy has not been to school since June 23 when his school started its summer holiday, the statement said.
The statement also noted that enterovirus infection can be caused by various kinds of enteroviruses such as coxsackievirus, echovirus and enterovirus 71 (EV71).
Enterovirus infection occurs throughout the year all over the world, with a higher level of incidence in the summer, the statement noted.
The statement pointed out that common diseases with relatively mild symptoms caused by enterovirus include hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and herpangina (painful mouth infection). However, the statement warned, enterovirus infection can cause serious complications such as myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and viral meningitis.
Poster courtesy of CDC
