The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     During the service demand surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rate in public hospitals. Key service statistics are being issued daily for public information. Details are in the appended table.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     The Marine Department today (May 14) reminded masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in Hong Kong waters to proceed at a safe speed and exercise extreme caution because restricted visibility of less than 2 nautical miles has been reported.

     Appropriate sound signals shall be made when underway or at anchor. All vessels must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

     Also, when radar is used without the benefit of adequate plotting facilities, the information obtained from the equipment is rather limited and should be construed accordingly.

     Visibility reports are broadcast by the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) on VHF channels 02, 12, 14, 63 and 67.

     In the event of an accident, a report shall be made immediately to the VTC at Tel: 2233 7801.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 12) seized about 1.5 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $960,000 at Hong Kong International Airport.

     A male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. During Customs clearance, the batch of suspected ketamine was found strapped around his body. The man was then arrested.

     The arrested man, aged 21, has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (May 14).

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (May 13) investigating an outbreak of measles infection affecting three workers at a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui.

     As at 4pm today, three cases were recorded. The first case involves a 30-year-old man with good past health who developed fever since May 7 and rash since May 10. He attended the Accident and Emergency Department at Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) on May 11 and was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment on May 12. A laboratory test of his respiratory specimen was positive for the measles virus. He has been in a stable condition and reported to have received measles vaccination. He had no travel history during the incubation period and had travelled to Japan during the communicable period.

​     The second case involves a 25-year-old woman with good past health who developed fever and rash since May 11. She attended the Accident and Emergency Department at KWH on May 11 and was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment today. A laboratory test of her respiratory specimen was positive for the measles virus. She has been in a stable condition and reported to have received measles vaccination. She had no travel history during the incubation period and had travelled to Shenzhen during the communicable period.
 
     The third case involves another 25-year-old woman with good past health who developed fever since May 8 and rash since May 10. She attended the Accident and Emergency Department at Tseung Kwan O Hospital on May 11 and was admitted for treatment. A laboratory test of her respiratory specimen was positive for the measles virus. She has been in a stable condition and reported to have received measles vaccination. She had travelled to Macao during the incubation period and had no travel history during the communicable period.

     According to all patients, they did not have contact with measles patients during the incubation period. Their home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far and have been put under medical surveillance.

      Upon notification of the cases, the CHP immediately commenced epidemiological investigations and conducted relevant contact tracing. Investigations are ongoing. The public places the patients visited during the communicable period are listed in the appendix.

     "To prevent possible spread of infection, measles mop-up vaccination has been given today to workers of the shop and measles-related health advice has also been provided. The mop-up vaccination will continue tomorrow," a spokesman for the DH said.
 
     The spokesman said, "Those who might have had contact with the patients during the period of communicability are urged to observe if they have developed measles-related symptoms, and to seek medical treatment immediately if such symptoms appear. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to the healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread."
      
     The spokesman explained that measles is a highly infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It can be transmitted by airborne droplets spread or direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected persons, and, less commonly, by articles soiled with nose and throat secretions. A patient can pass the disease to other persons from four days before to four days after the appearance of skin rash.

     "The incubation period (the period from infection to appearance of illness) of measles ranges from seven days to 21 days. Symptoms of measles include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If symptoms arise, members of the public should wear surgical masks, stop going to work or school and avoid going to crowded places. They should also avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially persons with weakened immunity, pregnant women and children aged below 1. Those suspected to have been infected are advised to seek medical attention as early as possible and reveal relevant contact history of measles to healthcare professionals," the spokesman advised.
     
     Separately, regarding measles control measures implemented at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), measles vaccination service at the airport vaccination station will be continued from tomorrow (May 14) to May 17. Measles vaccination will be provided to airport staff who:

(1) Were born in or after 1967, and have not received two doses of measles vaccination, and have not been infected with measles before; or

(2) Have laboratory evidence of testing not positive against measles antibody (IgG).

     The vaccination quota for the measles vaccination station at the airport remains at 600 doses daily. The venue and operation hours of the airport vaccination station are as follows:
 

     A large-scale exercise held biennially by the Civil Aid Service (CAS) concluded successfully today (May 13). The two-day exercise was codenamed "Challenger".

     In the test scenario, the CAS deployed members to Lei Yue Mun Village with the aim of appealing to residents to move to temporary shelters due to the approach of a super typhoon which posed threats to the safety of residents living in low-lying and coastal areas. The exercise sought to test and assess the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the CAS' command, deployment, communication, rescue skills, care for victims and logistical support. 
 
     The exercise also simulated members conducting emergency poultry culling in local farms during an outbreak of avian influenza, to assess members' efficiency and ability to follow prescribed procedures for putting on and taking off personal protective equipment.
 
     Over 1 000 CAS officers as well as members from the operations, administration and support units participated in the exercise. Exercises including simulations of search and rescue in tropical cyclones, floods and mountains, tree clearance, casualty evacuation, evacuation of residents and management of temporary shelters took place at Lei Yue Mun, Tung Tsz and Tsing Lung Tau, while the poultry culling exercise took place at the CAS Headquarters.
 
     By simulating different scenarios, the exercise effectively evaluates members' rescue skills and tests their preparedness for emergency operations. Members met the required standard in the exercise, showing that their training has been effective.
 
     The CAS will review and analyse the exercise reports and refine its training programmes and operational procedures to further enhance the operational efficiency of members of all ranks.