'Freshwater fish infection outbreak worrying'

Health authorities said the 40 people infected with Group B streptococcus were spread across all 18 districts in Hong Kong, and the vast majority of patients had touched raw freshwater fish before their infection took hold. Officials reported that a few patients said they might have eaten undercooked fish, while none of them work as fishmongers. A family doctor, Aaron Lee, told RTHK he was worried about this recent infection outbreak involving freshwater fish, which killed two people. "This time, the streptococcus is a little bit invasive. That [ST283] strain will cause sepsis, septic joint infection and also meningitis, even urinal track infection. So it's a bit worrying," Lee told RTHK's Backchat programme. The doctor said patients mostly respond well to treatment with antibiotics. He said people should avoid direct contact with raw fish and avoid using towels from fish stores, especially when they have a hand wound. Lee added folks should wear gloves when handling freshwater fish and wash their hands immediately afterwards.