Health bureau denies rubella outbreak in Macau

Casino visitors in Macau can breathe a lot easier as the Health Bureau of the city has declared that a recent rash of rubella cases is not an outbreak. This, despite the fact that confirmed cases of the disease have continued to increase over the last month.

The issue first came to the attention of the health authorities when it was discovered in early April that 12 employees who worked at the City of Dreams Cotia and StarWorld Hotel had contracted the illness. An extensive series of blood tests was conducted on all employees, and labor officials pushed for the government to impose stricter guidelines on sanitation and disinfecting policies. Despite these precautions, there were two additional cases that were reported by April 24.

The Health Bureau took every step to try to quell any talk of an outbreak occurring at one of the most popular casino resorts within the region. Blood tests provided a number of positive results, especially for those who are pregnant, where 30 of the 32 women who were tested and worked at the casino complex were found to have an immunity to the disease.

Adding to the positive reports was the fact that only four of the individuals who had contracted the disease were actually born in Macau. This seemed to have buoyed the claims of the Health Bureau.