Author Archives: hksar gov

     The EatSmart School Accreditation Scheme (ESAS), jointly organised by the Department of Health (DH) and the Education Bureau (EDB) since the 2009/10 school year, continues to receive widespread support from the education sector. A total of 112 primary schools have been recognised as EatSmart Schools, the highest honour in the ESAS, in commendation of their all-out efforts in promoting healthy eating on campus so as to maintain the health of students and develop healthy eating habits among them.
      
     Addressing the EatSmart School Accreditation Ceremony 2019 held today (July 2), the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH, Dr Wong Ka-hing, said that so far more than 270 primary schools and special schools in Hong Kong have participated in the ESAS, representing over 40 per cent of all primary schools in Hong Kong. Among them, 141 have attained accreditation, of which 112 achieved the highest honour of EatSmart School. The school accreditation is valid for three years. This year, 16 schools achieved the EatSmart School accreditation for the third consecutive time, and were presented with the Award for Continuous Promotion of Healthy Eating at School.
      
     According to the accreditation criteria of the ESAS, accredited schools have to demonstrate a commitment to continuously implementing administrative measures, providing healthy lunches and snacks in accordance with the nutritional requirements stipulated in the “Nutritional Guidelines on Lunch for Students” and the “Nutritional Guidelines on Snacks for Students” of the DH, and organising educational programmes and publicity events to create a nutrition-friendly school learning environment for students.
      
     The ESAS is a key programme under the EatSmart@school.hk campaign. The campaign’s Joyful Fruit Month event and the Salt Reduction Scheme for School Lunches have also received widespread support from stakeholders. This year, a record-breaking total of 1 358 kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and special schools have participated in the Joyful Fruit Month event. For the Salt Reduction Scheme for School Lunches, 12 participating school lunch suppliers which serve more than 490 primary schools in Hong Kong have provided over 1 800 sodium-reduced school lunch options in the two school years since the launch of the Scheme.
      
     Dr Wong pointed out that according to the Nutrient Testing of School Lunches in Primary Schools in Hong Kong 2018, the average sodium content per lunch dropped significantly from 951 milligrams in 2013 to 818mg in 2018, representing a 14 per cent decrease, which met the target of the Salt Reduction Scheme for School Lunches in reducing the sodium level of school lunches using a gradual approach. Participating school lunch suppliers have also pledged to further increase the supply of sodium-reduced lunch options in the next school year, aiming to turn all lunch choices into sodium-reduced options in the near future.
      
     Dr Wong said that in addition to having a low-sodium diet, sufficient intake of dietary fibre is also important. However, the same nutrient testing showed that around 40 per cent of school lunches contained insufficient dietary fibre. According to the health data collected by the Student Health Service of the DH in the 2017/18 school year, about 60 per cent of primary school students ate vegetables every day. However, the percentage of students eating enough vegetables – even on days when they ate vegetables – dropped from 49 per cent in the 2015/16 school year to 45 per cent in the 2017/18 school year.
      
     To combat the threat of non-communicable diseases, Dr Wong said that the Government last year launched the “Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong”, setting out nine local targets to be achieved by 2025, which include halting the rise in prevalence of raised blood pressure, diabetes and obesity as well as attaining a 30 per cent relative reduction in mean population daily intake of salt/sodium. As such, developing a healthy eating habit is important for students. In this regard, schools, parents and lunch suppliers play vital roles in adopting a low-sodium eating principle at school and at home, as well as encouraging students to consume sufficient vegetables and fruit every day.
      
     Dr Wong said that the support and guidance of the EDB and steering committee members of the campaign over the years have been key to the smooth running of the campaign in the past 13 years. He also expressed his sincere gratitude for the active participation and support of principals, teachers, parents and students from different schools, as well as the co-operation of food suppliers. He appealed to all parties to continue their support for the campaign and help nurture a nutrition-friendly environment for learning and living for students.
      
     Also officiating at the ceremony, the Principal Assistant Secretary (Curriculum Development) (Special Duties) of the EDB, Mr Joe Ng, said, “The EDB has always attached great importance to the development of physical and mental health of students. To lead a healthy lifestyle is one of the learning goals of the school curriculum. Schools can take multiple entry points, including designing different extended learning activities in relevant subjects, organising related contests, participating in the Health Ambassador Scheme and Joyful Fruit Month, to develop in students habits of healthy living. The EDB also encourages schools to follow the guidelines issued by the DH to formulate school-based heathy eating policy and measures. Through home-school co-operation and support from lunch suppliers, schools can make effective use of the nutrition guidelines to improve the health of our students.”
      
     More information on the campaign is available at the DH’s thematic website (school.eatsmart.gov.hk). read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:      The Central Government Offices (CGO), Tamar will be reopened tomorrow (July 3). … read more

     A director of Tsang’s Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited was prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for failing to pay employees wages and payment in lieu of notice under the Employment Ordinance (EO). The director pleaded guilty at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on June 17 and was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment suspended for 18 months today (July 2).

     The company failed to pay wages to two employees and payment in lieu of notice to one employee, totalling about $106,000, within seven days after the expiry of wage period or the date of termination of employment. The director concerned was prosecuted and convicted for his consent, connivance or neglect in the above offences.

     “The judgment would disseminate a strong message to all directors and responsible officers of bodies corporate that they have personal liability to ensure payment of wages and payment in lieu of notice to employees within the time limit in accordance with the EO. The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees’ statutory rights,” a spokesman for the LD said. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients in Developmental Disabilities Unit of Caritas Medical Centre infected with Adenovirus, the spokesperson … read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (July 2) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, and that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From June 23 to 29, two community-acquired LD cases were reported. They are:

1. A male patient, aged 74 with underlying illnesses, who lives in Block 4, Broadview Court, 11 Shum Wan Road, Southern District; and
2. A male patient, aged 53 with underlying illnesses, who lives in San Po Kong Mansion, 84-114 Choi Hung Road, Wong Tai Sin District.

     “Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any,” a spokesman for the CHP said. 

     As of June 29, 47 LD cases had been reported in 2019. In 2018 and 2017, there were 105 and 72 cases respectively. 

     “Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems leading to stagnant water; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels,” the spokesman said. 

     Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus which support breathing. People may get infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.    

     Immunocompromised persons should:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices. A shower may also generate small aerosols; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers’ instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily.

     The public should observe the health advice below:
 

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer’s recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors’ professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:

     1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
     2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
     3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
     4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
     5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     The public may visit the CHP’s LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP’s risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD. read more