Tag Archives: China

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:      Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to … read more

     Over 100 dragon boat crews from across North America and overseas converged at Centre Island, Toronto, Canada, on June 14 and 15 (Toronto time) to compete for glory at the 37th Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival, supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (Toronto ETO).
      
     Organised by the Toronto Chinese Business Association, the mega event attracted thousands of people to celebrate the Chinese tradition that blends athleticism and cultural heritage.
      
     Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Festival, the Acting Director of the Toronto ETO, Mr Gavin Yeung, remarked that the Toronto ETO is pleased to continue supporting the Festival. “Hong Kong brought this water sport to Canada almost four decades ago,” he said. “The dragon boat race signifies the strong and enduring ties between Hong Kong and Canada.”
      
     Mr Yeung shared that Hong Kong, as the events capital of Asia, stands as a globally connected city that hosts world-class events, including mega sports competitions, international conferences and cultural exhibitions, attracting tourists around the world. 
      
     “A notable highlight is the newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park,” he said. “Spanning over 28 hectares, this multipurpose venue is the largest sports, entertainment and mega event complex in Hong Kong.” Highlighting the concept of “tourism is everywhere” in Hong Kong, he encouraged Canadians to visit Hong Kong and discover the many exciting developments in Asia’s world city.
      
     The Toronto ETO also set up a Hong Kong pavilion with a mini-exhibition to showcase the history of dragon boating in Hong Kong. Cheering for their favourite teams while exploring the cultural favours, visitors enjoyed an unforgettable weekend.
      
     Besides Toronto, the Toronto ETO also celebrated dragon boat festivals in different cities across Canada. The festivals in Vancouver and Ottawa will be held from June 20 to 22 (Vancouver and Ottawa time) respectively. 

read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 16) urged the public not to consume several kinds of prepackaged candies, as the products might contain mineral oils (mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH)). The CFS urged the public not to consume the products concerned, regardless of batches. The trade should stop using or selling the affected products immediately if they possess any of them. 

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: 
(1) Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
(2) Jolly Rancher ‘Misfits’ Gummies
(3) Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1 
(4) Jolly Ranchers Berry Gummies
Manufacturer: The Hershey Company

     A spokesman for the CFS said, “The CFS noted a notice issued by the British Authority indicating that the above-mentioned products might contain mineral oils MOSH and MOAH. The products are not compliant with their local law and all batches of products concerned are being recalled. 

     After a preliminary investigation, the CFS confirmed one local supplier, Wahcom Limited had imported one of the affected products, Jolly Rancher Hard Candy into Hong Kong.”

     The supplier concerned has voluntarily stopped sales, removed the affected products from shelves and initiated a recall. Members of the public may call the supplier’s hotline at 2442 2677 during office hours for enquiries about the recall. 

     According to the Mineral Oil in Food Regulations (Cap 132AR), no person shall use or permit to be used any mineral oil in the composition or preparation of any article of food intended for sale for human consumption.

     â€‹The CFS will alert the trade to the incident and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing. read more

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, met with the Chairman of the Changchun Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Gao Zhiguo, today (June 16) to have in-depth exchanges on the development of biomedicine and Chinese medicine (CM) in the two places.

     Professor Lo said, “Biomedicine development and medical innovation are not only directly related to people’s life and health, but also important national policies representing immense new quality productive forces. The Resolution of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee pointed out the need to deepen the reform of medical and healthcare system and emphasised the support to the development mechanisms for innovative drugs and medical devices. In addition, the Development Plan for Shenzhen Park of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone promulgated by the State Council also put forward the co-ordinated development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Shenzhen under ‘one zone, two parks’ to promote the innovative application of advanced biomedicine technologies with concerted effort.”

     “The HKSAR Government is determined to fully utilise the institutional advantages of ‘one country, two systems’ of the HKSAR and our professional strengths in the healthcare sector to develop Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, thereby enabling the innovative medical technologies to go global and attract foreign investment, and promoting new quality productive forces in biomedicine.”

     The Chief Executive put forward the initiative of developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub in his 2023 and 2024 Policy Address. The HKSAR Government will expedite the reform of the approval mechanism for drugs and medical devices and enhance the translation of innovative biomedical research results into clinical applications, such as jointly establishing the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform in concerted efforts by the GBA International Clinical Trial Institute in the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone and the GBA International Clinical Trials Center in the Shenzhen Park to integrate resources and technologies to provide one-stop clinical trial support for medical research institutions; establishing a Real-World Study and Application Centre to open up the extensive and standardised local medical databases to support clinical diagnosis and treatment, new drug development, and public health research, and integrate real-world data generated through the special measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the GBA to accelerate approval for registration of new drugs in Hong Kong, the Mainland, and overseas; preparing for the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation (CMPR) to progress towards the “primary evaluation” approach; and taking forward preparatory work for legislating for the statutory regulation of medical devices to dovetail with the timetable for the establishment of the CMPR.

     Regarding CM, the HKSAR Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into a bridgehead for the internationalisation of CM, and encourages co-operations between schools and research institutions of the two places in various areas such as CM education and research. Hong Kong’s first CM hospital will commence services in phases starting from the end of this year, which will serve as a key platform for promoting clinical scientific research collaboration in proprietary Chinese medicines development, synergising with the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform to facilitate the commencement of internationally recognised multicentre clinical trials, thereby further accelerating the translation of CM research findings.

     Representatives of the Health Bureau, the Department of Health and the Hospital Authority also attended the meeting.

read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 16) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease (LD), and reminded the public of the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From June 8 to 14, the CHP recorded seven LD cases. Among these, one was imported case, four were community-acquired cases and two cases involved individuals who had stayed in both Hong Kong and the Mainland during the incubation period, pending classification as imported or community-acquired cases.

     The details of the imported case is as follows:

1. A 67-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses, who travelled to the Mainland during the incubation period.

     The details of the community-acquired are as follows:

1. A 76-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Kowloon City District;
2. A 68-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Tsuen Wan District;
3. A 56-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Yuen Long District; and
4. A 53-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Sham Shui Po District.

     The details of the cases with place of infection to be determined are as follows:

1. A 75-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses, who lives in Tsuen Wan District. He travelled to the Mainland during the incubation period; and
2. A 59-year-old male patient with good past health, who lives in the Mainland and travelled back and forth to Hong Kong during the incubation period.

     The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify potential sources of infection and high-risk exposure. Initial investigation revealed that all seven cases are sporadic cases. No epidemiological linkages have been established between these case and other confirmed cases previously recorded in Hong Kong.

     As of June 14, 61 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2024 and 2023, there were 135 and 121 LD 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; 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.

     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 that support breathing. People may become 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; 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.

     â€‹â€‹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