HK emergency medics face soaring patients' attendance

Attendance at hospital accident and emergency departments in Hong Kong has surged in recent weeks despite the provision of eight designated flu clinics which have treated more than 40,000 patients since June 13.

The average daily attendance at Hong Kong's 16 accident and emergency departments rose from 5,807 in the last week of July to 6,244 in the third week of August, while attendance peaked at over 6,900 on August 24, the Hospital Authority said Thursday.

Patients with influenza-like illness in major accident and emergency departments grew from 6 percent in June to 10 percent in August, it added.

A spokesman of the agency noted that tests for the spreading A/H1N1 virus are not routine for general patients but for specific high-risk groups, like children under six, pregnant women, people with persistent fever after 48 hours of symptomatic treatment, an those with chronic illness.

The authority will continue to assist the Center for Health Protection in monitoring the situation of seasonal influenza and A/ H1N1 influenza in Hong Kong by collecting patient specimens for surveillance.