Press Releases
District task forces set up to sustain anti-mosquito efforts
The Anti-mosquito Steering Committee (AMSC) today (June 21) endorsed the setting up of District Anti-mosquito Task Forces in all 18 districts to further strengthen the coordination of government efforts in combating mosquito problem and to encourage community involvement in anti-mosquito activities.
The district task forces, with operation mode modelling after the mechanism of the Team Clean, would be set up under the Home Affairs Department with the respective district officers as chairmen.
The task forces would coordinate interdepartmental efforts and solicit greater community participation in combating mosquito problem as well as promote anti-mosquito message across the community, the chairperson of the AMSC, Mrs Carrie Yau, said.
Mrs Yau, who is also the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, revealed at a press conference after a meeting of the AMSC this afternoon that the Government would set up an "Anti-mosquito Support Fund" of $10 million initiallyto support anti-mosquito operations where jurisdiction was not clear while relevant departments would continue to redeploy internal resources to fund mosquito control operations as a matter of priority.
The District Anti-mosquito Task Forces in the 18 districts might apply for the central fund to conduct anti-mosquito operations if the departments under their coordination had exhausted all other sources of funding, she added.
The AMSC was formed in October 2002 to set strategies and directions for mosquito control in Hong Kong. It draws its membership from 11 relevant government bureaux and departments.
The AMSC has endorsed in May a three-pronged approach to combat the mosquito problem, namely enhanced preventive measures, strict enforcement actions and stepped-up publicity programmes.
The steering committee reaffirmed the three-pronged strategy and noted that all relevant departments have intensified their anti-mosquito efforts since May.
In the light of the recent upsurge of the ovitrap indices, all government departments vowed to further enhance their anti-mosquito efforts at areas/venues under their respective purview in the coming months.
Noting community involvement would be indispensable in tackling the problem, Mrs Yau urged the public to participate actively in anti-mosquito activities by eliminating potential mosquito breeding grounds in their premises and the neighbourhood.
She urged the public not to leave empty cans, bottles, containers and used tyres in the open as the rain water trapped in these containers would be favourite breeding grounds for mosquito.
"Everyone of us in the community can play a part in our anti-mosquito effort. Maintaining good environmental hygiene is easy if we can pay a little more attention to the little things around us. One less empty soft drink cans on the street side may mean one less breeding ground for hundreds of mosquitoes.
"Only when all relevant departments, related parties, district organisations and members of the public play their part and work in close partnership can we deal with the mosquito problem effectively, and hence minimise the threat of dengue fever and other mosquito-transmitted diseases. We should all act now," she said.
Mrs Yau noted inter-departmental efforts in anti-mosquito operations would give priority to programmes which would enhance protection of residents in population centres such as housing estates, schools and etc.
Following are some key initiatives of the programmes (major programmes are attached in Annex.):
* To set up a $10-million "Anti-mosquito Support Fund";
* To employ 500 additional contract staff to enhance mosquito control work including conducting thematic operations targetted at village houses, old tenement buildings and passenger and cargo/container terminals/problematic spots;
* To complete the first round of grass cutting and site clearance at about 600 hygiene hot zones in July and to clear 68 hillside illegal cultivation not zones in the coming months;
* To accord priority to anti-mosquito operation at areas with high ovitrap index and to step up inspection frequency to work sites by contractors to twice a week;
* To conduct daily anti-mosquito inspections at all estates, commercial properties and construction sites, and to mobilise 800 staff and cleansing staff to clear mosquito breeding grounds; and
* To mobilise district organisations such as district hygiene squads, area committees, mutual aid committees and owners' corporations and other non-governmental organisations to take part in anti-mosquito operations at hygiene hot zones in 18 districts in the peak months of July and August.
To facilitate the public to report mosquito problems, members of the public could continue to make use of the telephone hotline (2868 0000); or the Housing Department's hotline (2712 2712) in reporting mosquito problems in public housing estates.
Ends/Monday, June 21, 2004
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Annex
Major intensified anti-mosquito efforts to be taken by relevant bureaux/departments are highlighted as follows -
* Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department will step up anti-mosquito inspections to all hiking trails and recreation sites in country parks, Hong Kong Wetland Park, fish, food and vegetable wholesale market premises and livestock farms;
* Department of Health will conduct more talks and exhibitions on travel health and anti-dengue issues. Educational pamphlets will be distributed to schools and the community;
* Education and Manpower Bureau will issue a circular to encourage more schools to set up anti-mosquito patrol teams to inspect schools weekly;
* Environment, Transport and Works Bureau will increase the frequency of inspections to works sites by contractors to twice per week. It will establish a special task force to assess the effectiveness of anti-mosquito measures at its sites falling within areas with AOIs over 40 per cent. Regulatory action against contractors who breach mosquito offences will also be escalated by such means as issuance of adverse assessment reports which would affect the future tendering opportunities of the contractors;
* Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct thematic operations targeting at village houses, old tenement buildings and passenger and cargo/container terminals/problematic spots. It will also organise more seminars, outreaching talks and roving exhibitions on prevention of dengue fever;
* Home Affairs Department will step up inspections and anti-mosquito operations at hygiene hot zones in 18 districts;
* Housing Department will conduct daily anti-mosquito inspections at all its estates, commercial properties and construction sites. It will also take intensified actions such as clearing floor drains, roof gutters and surface channels as well as spraying larvicidal oil at potential breeding hot zones every other day in estates and construction sites located in districts with AOIs exceeding 20%;
* Lands Department will complete grass cutting and site clearance at about 600 hot zones in July and clear 68 identified hillside illegal cultivation hot zones in the coming months; and
* Leisure and Cultural Services Department will step up special anti-mosquito operations at its venues. It will also install more mosquito trapping devices at its outdoor venues and conduct roving exhibitions on dengue fever.