Hong Kong confirms second encephalitis case in a week

Hong Kong health authorities are warning against mosquito bites after a second man in a week tested positive for Japanese encephalitis.

The 55-year-old man was admitted to North District Hospital in the New Territories on July 4 after experiencing fever and vomiting.

Public broadcaster RTHK is reporting that the Center for Public Health Protection is treating the case as a local infection because the patient has no recent travel history outside Hong Kong.

The man's wife and son have not shown any symptoms.

Japanese encephalitis is carried by the aedes albopictus mosquito and spreads in humans through the bloodstream.

Health experts are investigating a pig farm in Sheung Ma Tseuk Leng, near the patient's residence, which might be the source of the infection.

Meanwhile, a 68-year-old man, who was diagnosed with the infection on June 30, remains in critical condition in a hospital, according to Apple Daily.

Ho Pak-leung, president of the Center of Infection in the University of Hong Kong, urged the public to take preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites.

Aedes albopictus, which is also a carrier of dengue fever, is resistant to pesticides, Southern Metropolis Daily reported, citing the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Director He Jian-gen said the insect developed increased resistance to chemicals after the heavy use of pesticides during a dengue outbreak in Guangdong province last year.

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