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TB case in Tsuen Wan nursery
The following statement was issued by the Department of Health and the Social Welfare Department in response to press enquiries on a tuberculosis (TB) case in a nursery in Tsuen Wan:
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "A worker in a nursery in Tsuen Wan was diagnosed as having TB on February 14 this year. She was considered as having low grade infectivity.
"The worker was given treatment immediately and sick leave of three weeks were granted.
"The nursery was contacted on February 15 and arrangement was made for public health follow-up measures.
"All other staff who subsequently took the chest X-ray examination were found not to have tuberculosis.
"A health talk had been arranged for parents on March 26. Tuberculin tests were carried out for the children on April 4. Results were pending."
The spokesman stressed that in order to obtain the trust and co-operation of TB patients in carrying out preventive measures, it was not a practice to announce individual case to the media.
He noted that in 1996, contact screening for TB was carried out in 41 schools throughout the territory.
A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said: "For the benefit of the children and staff, all child care centres are required to abide by the guidelines issued by the Department's Child Care Centres Advisory Inspectorate with regard to pre-employment and annual physical examination (including a chest X-ray) of its staff by a registered medical practitioner.
"A medical certificate should be issued stating that he/she is medically fit to work in a child care centre.
"In the light of the latest development, close liaison will be maintained between the DH and the Child Care Centres Advisory Inspectorate to advise and assist operators of child care centres to take necessary precautionary measures," he added.
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