A British tourist with suspicious symptoms of mad cow disease is being monitored but the diagnosis has not been confirmed yet, Hong Kong's Department of Healthy and the Hospital Authority said in a joint statement Wednesday.

The 23-year-old man was born in the United Kingdom and came back to Hong Kong in early April this year, the statement said. He was found to have dizziness and odd behaviors on April 6 and was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital.

Although the man has clinical features suggestive of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vDJD), popularly known as mad cow disease, a number of laboratory tests have shown negative results for the disease, therefore the case has not yet been confirmed, the statement said.

At present, the patient, who is in critical condition, is being treated at Prince of Wales Hospital.

His relatives said he has no history of surgery or blood transfusion or blood donation.

VCJD is a rare disease with human neuro-degenerative condition and it does not spread through personal contact.

Hospitals concerned have adopted infection control measures accordingly, the statement said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2006)