ICU beds to double if bird flu hits hard

Thursday, April 18, 2013
The number of intensive care beds will be doubled should there be a H7N9 pandemic here, the Hospital Authority said.
In the mainland yesterday, there were two more deaths from the new bird flu strain and 14 more infections. This brought the number of deaths to 16 and infections to 77.
Chan Wai-ming, working group convener of the Hospital Authority Intensive Care Unit, said the number of beds in units will be increased to 127 with territory-wide isolation facilities should the situation escalate.
In the worst scenario there will be 156 beds.
Chan said the authority also has special equipment, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines, at four leading hospitals for use by critically ill patients.
The machines, traditionally operated during bypass surgery, were also used on swine flu patients.
They help alleviate acute respiratory distress, which is responsible for most swine flu fatalities.
"They act like an artificial lung by removing carbon dioxide from the blood and adding oxygen outside the body," Chan said.
Meanwhile, Director of Health Constance Chan Hon-yee said more staff will be deployed at border points to conduct temperature checks for visitors during the May 1 Golden Week.
Chan said airlines have already been told to increase broadcasts on flights to remind passengers to report any illnesses.
In Beijing, the seven-year-old girl treated for H7N9 was discharged from hospital following treatment after she tested negative for the virus four times.
The daughter of poultry traders was the first confirmed human case in the capital.
Wearing a bright blue coat and pink backpack, she said she was feeling much better. "I miss home ... I want to return home and play," she said.
Mainland health authorities say they do not know exactly know how the virus is spreading, but it is believed to be crossing to humans from birds.
The World Health Organization says there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. CANDY CHAN  http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=132986&sid=39508378&con_type=1&d_str=20130418&fc=7