Press Releases
SFH convenes meeting to discuss avian influenza (with photo)
With the first imported human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) this year
being confirmed yesterday, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko
Wing-man, today (February 24) convened an inter-departmental meeting to
assess the risk faced by Hong Kong and to review the existing disease
prevention mechanism.
At the meeting, the participants unanimously considered that the existing
disease prevention measures are effective. As this imported case is a
sporadic one and thus far none of the patient's close contacts had developed
related symptoms, the meeting decided that the existing Alert Response Level
set out in the Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic should remain
unchanged.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) will
continue to follow up on the people who have had contact with the patient.
They will also issue letters to doctors in Hong Kong and remind them again
to be vigilant about patients with symptoms of respiratory infection and who
have visited markets at affected places or have had exposure to poultry.
The Central Committee for Infectious Diseases and Emergency Response of the
Hospital Authority (HA) also held an ad hoc meeting this morning with the
representatives of the CHP to review the current clinical guidelines and
infection control measures in handling suspected and confirmed human cases
of avian influenza in public hospitals. Front-line staff have been reminded
again to remain vigilant in strengthening the monitoring of symptomatic
patients with related travel and contact history.
No abnormality was detected during the regular inspections to local farms
and testing on chicken samples conducted by the Agriculture, Fisheries and
Conservation Department (AFCD). Given that two cases of chicken carcasses
found at the seaside recently were confirmed to be H5N6 positive, the AFCD
will strengthen the testing on chicken carcasses in local farms.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been closely
monitoring the hygienic conditions of public markets and has stepped up
inspections of stalls selling live poultry to ensure strict compliance by
the stall operators with the requirements of no overnight stocking of live
poultry and daily cleaning of the stalls. The market cleaning contractors
will also clean the public areas of public markets and carry out cleaning
and thorough disinfection of live poultry stalls every day.
"We anticipate that there may be further sporadic avian influenza cases on
the Mainland and in our neighbouring areas, and Hong Kong may have imported
cases of avian influenza again. Therefore, the Government will conduct risk
assessments in accordance with the Preparedness Plan for Influenza Pandemic
and the World Health Organization's recommendations as a basis for deciding
whether and if so how local prevention and control strategy should be
adjusted. In addition, response measures will be further enhanced to get
prepared for the risk posed by the winter peak of seasonal influenza," Dr Ko
said.
Attending today's inter-departmental meeting were officials from the Food
and Health Bureau, the DH, the AFCD and the FEHD; representatives from the
HA; experts; and academics.
Ends/Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:40
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