Five people recently received transplanted organs from the same donor. Unfortunately, they were infected by Hepatitis E, as confirmed by a Hong Kong hospital.
Queen Mary Hospital revealed that the said incident was the first case of its kind in the metro. South China Morning Post reports that the confirmation came from the University of Hong Kong's department of microbiology, which was responsible for investigating the matter. It turns out that most, if not all, patients who underwent organ transplantation in February had been infected with the deadly virus.
"The suspected infection channel was donated organs," the hospital's spokeswoman said.
The medical institution told the Hospital Authority and the Centre for Health Protection about the potentially deadly case. The hospital has also been in contact with all affected patients, providing assistance and treatment.
It is believed that the donor was in her 40s and died at the Princes Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung in February. A hospital source claims that she donated about five organs, including her heart, liver, lungs, and both kidneys. Unfortunately, it resulted in 5 infected recipients.
The Star Online reports that a patient who received the woman's lungs had already died. It is unclear, however, if the death was due to the infection. An investigation is currently ongoing.
Medical experts in Hong Kong say that this was the first case of its kind in the city. Never in the history of the metro had an organ donation resulted in hepatitis E transmission.
Dr. Luk Che-chung, who is the chief executive of Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, discussed the process or organ donation. He said that organs were not ordinarily tested for hepatitis E, as the virus itself is considered rare.
Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis E virus and is mainly transmitted by fecal contamination of drinking water. Bad cases can result in liver failure or, worse, death.
