HONG KONG - Cabinetry at a newly constructed Hong Kong hospital has been infested by beetles, reports MIMS, a medical research site.
More than 70 floor mounted cabinets at Tin Shui Wai Hospital (TSWH) were found to harbor scavenger beetles.
After removing the cabinets last week, pest control and deep cleaning were carried out by the hospital, and follow-up inspection of the remaining 394 non-affected wooden floor cabinets is planned.
The first sign of bugs occurred in February, then recurred in March. According to a report at MIMS:
In May, TSWH received another report of bugs appearing in a wooden floor cabinet. TSWH and ArchSD agreed to step up inspection of all floor cabinets by cutting out part of the wood of each floor cabinet for observation for a period of three to five days to assess the risk of bug infestation. Once bugs were found, immediate mitigation measures such as pest control, deep cleaning and removing the floor cabinet concerned would be taken. Read more
The investigation revealed that the cabinets were staged for installation in a damp, unenclosed area of the construction site. Following fumigation, the floor cabinets will be reinstalled and follow-up inspections will be scheduled.
The hospital says the bugs found in the cabinets Dienerella Costulata - brown scavenger beetles. While not carrying communicable diseases, the beetles are known to irritate respiratory allergies
Tin Shui Wai Hospital is the fifth hospital under New Territories West Cluster which provides service by phase from early-2017. At initial phase, Tin Shui Wai Hospital provides major ambulatory services, including daytime Accident & Emergency service, Specialist Out-Patient Clinic, Renal Dialysis, Allied Health, Community Nursing Service and so on.
Upon the opening of the new hospital, Tin Shui Wai Hospital serves as a main medical institution in Tin Shui Wai.
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