The Center for Health Protection (CHP) of Hong Kong's Department
of Health said Friday that it has received 33 reports of suspected
shellfish poisoning affecting 54 people since
Tuesday.??
Due to the alert raised by the CHP after receiving the first
batch of cases on March 15, no one has been reported to eat fresh
scallops since March 16 and develop shellfish poisoning, and the
cases that were reported over the past few days occurred before
March 16, a CHP spokesman said.
The hotline on shellfish poisoning set up by the CHP has so far
received 33 calls. Seventeen of the callers claimed that they had
developed nervous system related symptoms after consuming fresh
scallops recently, and most of them recovered without seeking
medical treatment.
The 54 patients -- 22 males and 32 females aged from 11 to 81 --
developed nervous system related symptoms about 20 minutes to three
hours after consuming the same type of fresh scallops between March
10 and 15.
The scallops were bought from 20 markets in various districts in
Hong Kong.
Twenty-seven of the affected people attended the accident and
emergency department of public hospitals, two sought medical
treatment from private doctors and one consulted a Chinese medical
practitioner. All were in a stable condition and did not require
hospitalization.?
(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2005)