A 19-year-old woman was confirmed to have cholera, the fifth case in Hong Kong so far this year. She is now in Princess Margaret Hospital in stable condition.

She suffered from diarrhoea and mild stomach pain on August 23 and sought medical treatment in Tseung Kwan O Hospital the following day.

Her stool specimen yielded positive results for cholera, identified as the Ogawa strain.

None of the people who share her flat showed any symptoms. The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department disinfected her home in Tseung Kwan O. 

The patient had not travelled outside Hong Kong during the incubation period and the case was classified as a local one. Health authorities are investigating the source of her infection.

The Department of Health called on members of the public to be on guard against food-borne infections. The best way to prevent cholera and other food-borne diseases is to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times.

They are advised to take the following preventive measures:

* Clean and cook seafood thoroughly before consumption, particularly crustacean and bivalve seafood such as shrimp, crab, oysters and clams;

* Wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet;

* Handle raw and cooked food with separate utensils to prevent cross contamination;

* Keep raw and cooked food separately;

* Store food in the refrigerator (at 4 degrees celsius or below) and adequately reheat leftover food before consumption; and