The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited on phishing email, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.
 
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the email concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the email should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, visited Sha Tin District this afternoon (January 25), meeting with members of the Sha Tin District Council to learn more about the law and order situation and livelihood conditions of the local community. He also visited a drug treatment and rehabilitation centre.
 
      Accompanied by the District Officer (Sha Tin), Miss Amy Chan, Mr Lee first met with members of the Sha Tin District Council to exchange views on issues relating to the local law and order situation and people's livelihood.
 
     Mr Lee then visited the Adult Female Rehabilitation Centre of the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers. The Centre provides voluntary residential drug treatment and rehabilitation services to female drug abusers aged 30 or above to help them quit drugs and establish healthy lifestyles.
 
     Mr Lee was briefed on the services and facilities of the Centre. He also chatted with volunteers who had received services of the Centre and successfully quit drugs. He said he was pleased to see that the Centre offered a variety of services, including individual counselling, therapeutic groups and life skills and job-seeking skills training, to equip rehabilitees for reintegration into society.
 
     Expressing appreciation to the volunteers for supporting drug treatment and rehabilitation services, Mr Lee encouraged them to maintain a positive life attitude and continue to serve the community. He also encouraged the residents who were undergoing drug treatment and rehabilitation to make good use of the Centre's resources to increase their resilience and self-confidence for positively braving future challenges.

          

     The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, visited North District today (January 25) and met with local District Council members to exchange views on district matters. He also visited the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) Leadership Institute.

     Accompanied by the District Officer (North), Mr Chong Wing-wun, Mr Wong first met with the Chairman of the North District Council, Mr So Sai-chi, and local District Council members to gain a better understanding of the latest developments and needs of the district, and listen to members' views and suggestions on the work of the Government.

     He then proceeded to the HKFYG Leadership Institute. Located at the Former Fanling Magistracy, the institute is one of the projects under Batch III of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. It comprises five schools and provides leadership training to young people with a view to enhancing their communication skills, perspectives and social responsibilities.

     Mr Wong toured the facilities of the institute, such as former courtrooms and prison cells which have been converted into meeting rooms and multi-function rooms, as well as the accommodation lodge. He was briefed by young cultural ambassadors on the history and architectural merits of the old magistracy, and details of the restoration and revitalisation of this Grade 3 historic building.

     The HKFYG Leadership Institute was soft launched in December last year and will be officially opened in March this year.

        

     The Transport Department (TD) today (January 25) reminded members of the public that the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme has been implemented from January 1. Under the Scheme, only the public transport expenses paid starting from January 1 are included in the calculation of the monthly subsidy, and the expenses on designated transport tickets are calculated according to the date of purchase of the tickets. In other words, fares on designated transport tickets purchased from January 1 to 31 (regardless of the effective date of the designated transport tickets) are considered as part of the public transport expenses in January.

     The TD also reminded members of the public to perform registration for designated transport tickets purchased by cash or any payment means other than Octopus within 30 days from the date of purchase, in order to include the relevant fares in the public transport expenses of that month for subsidy calculation. Each designated transport ticket only has to be registered once. For instance, commuters purchasing designated transport tickets on January 1 are required to perform registration on or before January 30, such that the expense can be included for the calculation of the subsidy in January. Commuters can check the registration status of the designated monthly tickets two days after the date of registration through the website of the Scheme (www.ptfss.gov.hk), the Octopus App and the hotline of the Scheme (2969 5500).
      
     In consideration of monthly tickets of public transport services generally being sold before the effective date of the tickets, the Government has introduced a one-off special arrangement in the first month after the implementation of the Scheme. Commuters who purchased designated monthly tickets, which are designated for use in January 2019, in December 2018 should perform registration on or before January 30, 2019, at the Designated Transport Ticket Self-registration Points or through the staff of operators, in order to include the above expenses into the calculation of the total public transport expenses in January. Please note that this one-off arrangement is applicable to monthly passes – the use of which is restricted to the designated month. An MTR City Saver is valid for 40 days upon activation after the first journey and therefore the one-off special arrangement is not applicable to it. Details of the designated monthly tickets and their respective registration arrangements are listed in the Annex.

     Commuters will be able to collect the public transport fare subsidy for January starting from February 16 by tapping their Octopus at the Subsidy Collection Points installed at MTR stations, Light Rail Customer Service Centres and designated ferry piers; at the Octopus readers at the cashier of any outlet of 7-Eleven, Circle-K and Wellcome supermarket; or at Octopus Service Points, or through the Octopus App. The subsidy will then be credited to the Octopus. Thereafter, on and after the 16th of each month, commuters can collect the subsidy of the previous month through the same channels. The subsidy for each month is valid for collection within the next three months.

     Commuters may check their record of public transport expenses and subsidy amount through the website of the Scheme, the Octopus App and the hotline of the Scheme. For enquires about the details of the Scheme, please see the website of the Scheme or call 1823.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (January 25) investigating two cases of severe paediatric influenza A infection.

     The first case involves a 15-year-old boy with underlying illnesses, who has presented with fever and malaise since January 22. He was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) on January 23 and was transferred to QMH's paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for further management yesterday. His nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with severe pneumonia. He is now in a critical condition.

     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had not received seasonal influenza vaccination for the current season and had no travel history during the incubation period. One of his home contacts had upper respiratory tract infection recently and had recovered. His other home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far.
 
     The second case involves a four-year-old girl with underlying illnesses, who has presented with fever since yesterday. She was admitted to QMH on the same day and subsequently developed respiratory distress and was transferred to QMH's PICU for further management today. Her NPA tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with severe pneumonia. She is now in a critical condition.
 
     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had not received seasonal influenza vaccination for the current season and had no travel history during the incubation period.

     The CHP's investigations are ongoing.

     "The latest surveillance data indicated that the local seasonal influenza activity may continue to rise in the period ahead. We urge the community to continue heightening its vigilance against seasonal influenza. As young children are particularly affected in the influenza season, we appeal to parents who have not yet arranged vaccination for their children in this season to do so as soon as possible to strengthen their personal protection," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "Apart from children, people aged 50 to 64 years, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses who have not yet received influenza vaccination this season are also urged to get vaccinated as early as possible to prevent seasonal influenza as it takes about two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body after vaccination. Medical advice should be sought promptly if influenza-like symptoms develop so that appropriate treatment can be initiated as early as possible to prevent potential complications. Parents and carers are reminded to render assistance in prevention, care and control for vulnerable people," the spokesman added.

     Besides receiving seasonal influenza vaccination as early as possible for personal protection, the public should maintain good personal and environmental hygiene for protection against influenza and other respiratory illnesses. For more information, please visit the CHP's influenza page and weekly Flu Express.