Man infected with rat hepatitis E, Hong Kong’s first case this year

Health authorities are investigating a human case of Rat Hepatitis E – the first recorded in Hong Kong this year – and have urged the public to observe good hygiene practices and use effective rodent control measures.A spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said on Saturday that the case involved a 42-year-old man with chronic liver disease, whose blood sample tested positive for the virus on May 5.“Based on current epidemiological data, the CHP considered that the patient was more likely to have acquired the infection locally,” he said.