Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ8: Anti-mosquito work

        Following is a question by the Hon David Chu and a written reply by the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, in the Legislative Council today (July 7):

 

Question:

 

        It has been reported that the mosquito problem has become increasingly rampant in various districts of Hong Kong recently, and there have been rising risks of mosquito-transmitted diseases such as dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis (JE).  Two cases of JE were reported successively in Hong Kong in June this year.  The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau has allocated $10 million to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) for carrying out anti-mosquito work in the "grey areas" where responsible government departments cannot be instantly identified, with a view to tackling the mosquito problem within a short period of time.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

 

(a) of the total number of such "grey areas" in Hong Kong, as well as the locations and circumstances in which they are normally identified to exist;

 

(b) whether it will specifically designate a government department to be responsible for carrying out the work relating to hygiene management in the above "grey areas";

 

(c) of the breeding situation of Culicine mosquitoes, which are the culprits for transmitting JE, in the past six months, and the measures that the authorities will take to control their high breeding rates;  and

 

(d) whether it knows if the Hospital Authority(HA) has started formulating contingency measures to prevent a massive outbreak of JE;  if so, of the details?

 

Reply:

 

Madam President,

 

(a) & (b)  We do not have a list of anti-mosquito "grey areas" and our assessment is that there are only very limited areas as such which jurisdiction or management authority have not been clearly established.  In the last two weeks, the 18 Anti-mosquito Task Forces chaired by District Officers have taken swift action in coordinating various departments' efforts in combating the mosquito problem of these sites as a matter of priority. They will then decide the responsibility of each department in overseeing the long term hygiene management of the areas.

 

(c)    The principal vector of JE, Culex tritaeniorhynchus breeds in water-logged abandoned fields, rice fields, marshes and water collections around cultivated fields.  As potential breeding grounds are plentiful in vast areas of the New Territories, Culex tritaeniorhynchus could be widely found in Hong Kong.  The breeding condition of this vector is very susceptible to seasonal change, hence their amount and distribution soars during rainy season.  FEHD and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) have been taking targeted action on the control of the vector.  AFCD conducts regular inspections to pig farms, remind farmers to eliminate stagnant water on site and offer advice on mosquito prevention measures.  For cases where mosquito-breeding problem exists, AFCD will refer them to FEHD for follow-up control and enforcement actions.  Apart from conducting weekly inspection and anti-mosquito operations at the vicinity of pig farms, as well as areas where migratory birds gather and are close to human residences, the Department has also launched promotion and education activities to publicise the preventive measures for Culex tritaeniorhynchus.  In addition to the elimination of mosquito breeding sites and the spraying of larvicide, FEHD also issues warning or takes enforcement action against the responsible parties upon discovery of mosquito breeding places.

 

        The Government is highly concerned about the drastic upsurge of recent ovitrap indices and reported JE cases in Hong Kong.  In order to contain the spread of the mosquito-borne diseases, 18 District Anti-Mosquito Task Forces have been established to coordinate interdepartmental anti-mosquito operations on a district level as well as to encourage greater community participation in mosquito control efforts.   The Administration will also conduct serological studies on the local pig population to gather more scientific data with a view to enhancing our risk assessment capability as well as other preventive measures.

 

(d)    The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) is working closely with the HA, FEHD, AFCD and other government departments to curtail the likelihood of a large outbreak of JE in Hong Kong.  In addition, the HA is handling the threat of JE by following its Response Plan for Infectious Disease Outbreaks.  For instance, the HA has initiated a six-week surveillance programme for encephalitis, which is set to run until July 23.  Under this programme, the HA would report all cases of encephalitis of unknown origin together with the relevant epidemiological information to the Central Notification Office of CHP.  In addition, in order to avoid the overloading of any particular hospital, the HA Head Office has already notified all public hospitals that in case where the number of suspected encephalitis cases in any hospital exceeds 20 per cent of the capacity of its Intensive Care Unit, that hospital may direct any subsequent cases of suspected encephalitis to other hospitals or hospital clusters in accordance with pre-established protocol. 

 

Ends/Wednesday, July 7, 2004

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