Estate residents step up cleaning after city’s first rat hepatitis case this year

Janitors were seen deep-cleaning public areas at Laguna Verde, where the patient reportedly lived, on Sunday

Residents at a private housing estate in Hong Kong have stepped up pest prevention measures, as authorities investigate the city’s first human case of rat hepatitis E recorded this year.

Janitors were seen deep-cleaning public areas at the 25-block Laguna Verde estate in Hung Hom on Sunday, with sanitation efforts also encompassing the area’s waterfront promenade park, planters and the nearby shopping centre.

A day earlier, health authorities revealed that a 42-year-old patient was found to have hepatitis E on May 5 when he visited a private hospital for follow-up on a pre-existing condition, with his blood samples testing positive for the virus.

The South China Morning Post learned that the man lived at Laguna Verde and worked at One Harbourfront.

The patient was discharged in stable condition on Friday following treatment at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam.

Officials have not ruled out transmission via food or environments contaminated with rodent excrement, noting the patient reported no encounters with rats at home or work.