The Post looks into the incident, the risks of acupuncture-associated infections, and how patients can better protect themselves.
What happened to the patient?
The Centre for Health Protection on Tuesday revealed a case of a 47-year-old man who underwent an amputation of his left lower leg two days after developing a Group A Streptococcal infection, following acupuncture treatment he received at two traditional Chinese medicine clinics.
The man developed a fever and left thigh pain on April 11 and subsequently sought care from a private hospital, where he was diagnosed with septic shock and necrotising fasciitis, commonly known as “flesh-eating infection”.
The man, who had underlying illnesses, was transferred to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam the next day and underwent a left lower limb amputation on April 13. His clinical specimens tested positive for Group A Streptococcus.
According to the centre, the man received acupuncture treatments on April 7, 9 and 10 from two registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Sheung Wan and Causeway Bay.
