The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (September 21) investigating a case of Legionnaires' disease (LD) in Pok Oi Hospital (POH), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, and that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.
 
     The male patient, aged 71, was admitted to POH on July 11 for underlying illness and has developed fever and shortness of breath since August 29. The clinical diagnosis is pneumonia and he is in a serious condition.
 
     His sputum sample tested positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 upon laboratory testing.
 
     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had no travel history during the incubation period.
 
     "Epidemiological investigations with the hospital are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any. Relevant water samples and environmental swabs have been collected from potential sources for laboratory testing," a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     Tracing of contacts including staff and in-patients therein is ongoing and those identified will be put under medical surveillance. The CHP has provided health advice against LD to staff and in-patients, including those with weakened immunity who should use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing.
 
     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:
 

1. Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
2. Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices. A shower may also generate small aerosols; and
3. If using these devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not tap water. Also, clean and maintain them regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water. 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;
• 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 the 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 medical advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile (not distilled or tap) water to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain them 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. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes:

     1. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
     2. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
     3. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
     4. 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.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     No open or closed meetings of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Committees will be held in the LegCo Complex during the week from September 24 to 28.

     The Home Affairs Department will open 19 temporary night heat shelters tonight (September 21) for people in need of the service.
      
     The shelters will be open from 10.30pm until 8am tomorrow.

     For further information, please call the department's enquiries hotline before midnight on 2835 1473.
      
     The 19 night heat shelters are located at:
 
Hong Kong Districts:
———————
 
Central and Western –
Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall
3/F, Sai Ying Pun Community Complex,
2 High Street, Sai Ying Pun
 
Eastern –
Causeway Bay Community Centre
Waiting Lobby, 3/F, 7 Fook Yum Road, Causeway Bay
 
Southern –
Lei Tung Community Hall
Lei Tung Estate, Ap Lei Chau

Wan Chai –
Wan Chai Activities Centre
LG/F, Wan Chai Market, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai

Kowloon Districts:
——————
 
Kowloon City –
Hung Hom Community Hall
Multi-purpose Room, 1/F, Kowloon City Government Offices,
42 Bailey Street, Hung Hom
 
Kwun Tong –
Lam Tin (West) Estate Community Centre
71 Kai Tin Road, Lam Tin
 
Sham Shui Po –
Shek Kip Mei Community Hall
G/F, Block 42, Shek Kip Mei Estate,
Nam Cheong Street, Sham Shui Po

Wong Tai Sin –
Tsz Wan Shan (South) Estate Community Centre
Hall, G/F, 45 Wan Wah Street, Tsz Wan Shan
 
Yau Tsim Mong –
Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre
60 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei
 
New Territories Districts:
————————–
 
Islands –
Tung Chung Community Hall
G/F, Tung Chung Municipal Services Building,
39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung
 
Kwai Tsing –
Kwai Shing Community Hall
Podium, Block 6, Kwai Shing West Estate, Kwai Chung
 
North –
Cheung Wah Community Hall
Cheung Wah Estate, Fanling
 
Sai Kung –
Hang Hau Community Hall
G/F, Sai Kung Tseung Kwan O Government Complex,
38 Pui Shing Road, Hang Hau, Tseung Kwan O
 
Sha Tin –
Lung Hang Estate Community Centre
Lung Hang Estate, Sha Tin
 
Tai Po –
Tai Po Community Centre
2 Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po
 
Tsuen Wan –
Lei Muk Shue Community Hall
G/F, Hong Shue House, Lei Muk Shue Estate, Tsuen Wan
 
Tuen Mun –
Butterfly Bay Community Centre
Butterfly Estate (near Tip Sum House), Tuen Mun
 
Yuen Long –
Long Ping Community Hall
Long Ping Estate, Yuen Long
 
Yuen Long –
Tin Yiu Community Centre
Tin Yiu Estate, Tin Shui Wai
      
     The temporary night heat shelters will resume their functions as either community centres or community halls in the daytime for hire by the local community and cannot continue to be open as heat shelters. People may choose to take refuge from the heat during the daytime in the common areas in any of the 21 designated community centres or community halls. Their opening hours are from 9am to 10pm. For addresses of the community centres or community halls, please browse the following webpage: www.had.gov.hk/file_manager/en/documents/public_services/emergency_services/List_CH_CC_Day_E.pdf.

     The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (September 21) that two residential sites in the 2018-19 Land Sale Programme will be disposed of by public tender.

     The two sites are Lot No. 766 in Demarcation District No. 332 at South Lantau Road, Cheung Sha, Lantau Island, New Territories, and New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6591 at Kai Tak Area 4B Site 4, Kai Tak, Kowloon. The tender invitation for Lot No. 766 in Demarcation District No. 332 will commence on September 28 and close on October 26. The tender invitation for New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6591 will commence on September 28 and close on November 9.

     Lot No. 766 in Demarcation District No. 332 has a site area of about 5 503 square metres and is designated for private residential purposes. The minimum gross floor area is 1 321 sq m and the maximum gross floor area that may be attained is 2 201 sq m.

     New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6591 has a site area of about 9,708 sq m and is designated for private residential purposes. The minimum gross floor area and the maximum gross floor area are 32,037 sq m and 53,394 sq m respectively.

     Land sale documents including the Forms of Tender, the Tender Notices, the Conditions of Sale and the sale plans of the two lots will be available for downloading from the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk), and the sale plans will be available for distribution and inspection by the public from September 28, when the particulars of the tenders will also be gazetted.

     The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) today (September 21) announced a new set of price display requirements for the sale of airlines' air tickets at their direct sales outlets to enhance transparency and enable consumers to make informed choices. Under the new display requirements, airlines will need to provide the final price of air tickets at all times and provide a breakdown of the final price to show all "must pay" elements of the ticket fare in each quotation/transaction at their direct sales outlets. If an airline wishes to levy a passenger fuel surcharge (PFS) as part of the final price, it will be required to clearly show the level levied by the airline as with other "must pay" elements. The above arrangements will take effect from November 1.

     The CAD announced in January 2016 that airlines would no longer be approved to levy a PFS from February 1, 2016 onwards for flights originating from Hong Kong until further notice. The CAD then commissioned a consultancy study on international trends and practices on regulation of fuel surcharges and to recommend how fuel surcharges should be regulated. The initial findings, released in 2017, concluded that there was a global trend of liberalisation of fuel surcharges to enhance competition and recommended that the CAD take a similar approach for fuel surcharge regulation. A further review was conducted by the CAD recently on the way forward for fuel surcharge regulation in the long run.

     "The further review noted that the global trend of deregulating fuel surcharge to enhance competition, as highlighted in the consultancy study, echoed with the progressive liberalisation policy in Hong Kong's air services regime. It also noted that the fuel cost was part of the operating costs of airlines that had to be recouped in any case, be it as part of the basic ticket fare or as a separately listed surcharge. Individual airlines should be allowed to make their own commercial decisions on whether to levy a fuel surcharge. The key is to encourage competition and to ensure transparency in price display to facilitate consumers in making informed choices," a spokesman for the CAD said.

     "With over 120 airlines serving over 220 destinations at Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong has a very competitive airline business. Different kinds of flight services, ranging from premium to budget airlines, enable market forces to keep air ticket prices competitive. The advance of technology, including the availability of price-comparing websites, also enhances consumers' ability to assess the prices offered by different airlines and in turn enhances competition," the spokesman added.

     With a view to further encouraging competition amongst airlines while at the same time stepping up efforts to help consumers make more informed choices, the CAD will impose a new set of price display requirements for airlines' air ticket sales at their direct sales outlets. Under the new requirements, all airlines are required to meet the requirements in the display of ticket prices at their direct sales outlets for flights originating from Hong Kong, as follows:
 

1. clear display of total "must pay" price (i.e. the price which a passenger must pay for the purpose of boarding a flight). Elements of the "must pay" price include the applicable airfare, PFS (if levied by the relevant airline), Air Passenger Departure Tax, Passenger Security Charge and Airport Construction Fee. The information must be displayed at all times throughout the booking process in each quotation/transaction; 
      
2. provision of a breakdown of all the elements (including any PFS which may be levied by the individual airline) of the all-inclusive "must pay" price; and
      
3. if there are optional price supplements (e.g. extra baggage allowance, travel insurance, etc) in addition to the "must pay" ticket fare, each of them must be offered on an opt-in basis (i.e. consumers will determine whether to purchase these supplements by making a positive selection, e.g. ticking the respective boxes on the relevant page of airlines' booking website, etc).
      

     Airlines which comply with the above display requirements may separately list the PFS in the price breakdown, with effect from November 1. That is, all tickets issued on or after November 1 for flights that originate from Hong Kong may include a PFS as determined by individual airlines. For tickets issued before November 1 but for travel after this date, no PFS is payable unless the ticket is reissued due to passenger's circumstances. Airlines that do not levy PFS are also required to comply with the price display requirements for transparency.

     "As at today, the majority of airlines providing passenger services in Hong Kong are already in compliance with the new display requirements. The remaining airlines that are currently enhancing their booking systems to meet the price display requirements are allowed a grace period of six months. Consumers are encouraged to look out for the final price, which includes all "must pay" elements of the tickets during price comparison, and contact airlines for clarification in case of doubt. We will closely monitor the implementation of the new display requirements," the spokesman said.

     The CAD has consulted stakeholders on this new requirement and received general support for the liberalisation of fuel surcharges and price display requirements. The airlines and the Travel Industry Council have agreed on the implementation arrangements of the price display requirements. The Consumer Council and the Competition Commission also support the liberalisation and the enhanced transparency requirements. The Competition Commission sees the liberalisation and transparency as a step forward in ensuring that airlines compete on a level playing field.

     With regard to the current time-limited resumption of cargo fuel surcharge (CFS), it will remain in effect until end-2019. From January 1, 2020 individual airlines may, based on their commercial considerations, set CFS at a level based on their own circumstances or choose not to include such a surcharge.