The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (June 15) investigating an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) at a kindergarten in Wong Tai Sin, and hence reminded the public and management of institutions to maintain personal and environmental hygiene against AGE.

     The outbreak involves 30 pupils, comprising 19 boys and 11 girls aged 4 to 6. They developed vomiting, diarrhoea and fever since June 9. Twenty-one of the affected pupils sought medical attention, and two required hospitalisation. All patients are in stable condition.

     An epidemiological investigation revealed that there were students in the outbreak who vomited at the school. Other students developed gastrointestinal symptoms in subsequent days. The CHP considers that the outbreak has a higher chance of person-to-person transmission or environmental contamination, while the chance of involving food poisoning is relatively low.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit and provided health advice to the staff of the kindergarten concerning proper and thorough disinfection, proper disposal of vomitus, and personal and environmental hygiene. The kindergarten has been put under medical surveillance.

     Investigations are ongoing.

     A spokesman for the CHP reminded that alcohol-based handrub should not substitute hand hygiene with liquid soap and water, as alcohol does not effectively kill some viruses frequently causing AGE, e.g. norovirus. Members of the public are advised to take heed of the following preventive measures against gastroenteritis:
 

• Ensure proper personal hygiene;
• Wash hands thoroughly before handling food and eating, after using the toilet or after changing diapers;
• Wear gloves when disposing of vomitus or faecal matter, and wash hands afterwards;
• Clean and disinfect contaminated areas or items promptly and thoroughly with diluted household bleach (by adding one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite to 49 parts of water). Wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Pay attention to food hygiene;
• Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Avoid food that is not thoroughly cooked;
• Drink boiled water; and
• Do not patronise unlicensed food premises or food stalls.

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     The public may visit the CHP's website (www.chp.gov.hk) or call the DH's Health Education Infoline (2833 0111) for more information.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 15) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the Republic of Mari El in Russia, the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

     A CFS spokesman said that Hong Kong has currently established a protocol with Russia for the import of poultry meat but not for poultry eggs. According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 30 tonnes of frozen poultry meat from Russia in the first three months of this year.

     "The CFS has contacted the Russian authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

     Following is the video speech by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, at a business seminar on logistics, maritime and aviation jointly organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, ​Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Australian Trade and Logistics Corporation today (June 15):
 
Dear friends in Australia,
 
     Hello from Hong Kong! I am delighted to join you all virtually this evening at the business seminar, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, InvestHK, the HKTDC and the Australian Trade and Logistics Corporation, to keep you abreast of the latest developments in logistics, maritime and aviation in Hong Kong.
 
     With an unbeatable location in the world's most vibrant markets, I am sure that you know why Hong Kong excels in the logistics, maritime and aviation sectors. Our Shipping Register is the fourth largest in the world in terms of gross tonnage. Our airport has been the world's busiest international cargo airport. Under the unique principle of "one country, two systems", we are blessed with the unwavering support of national strategies while maintaining unparalleled connectivity with the world. The National 14th Five-Year Plan has supported the development of the international maritime centre and international aviation hub in Hong Kong.  
 
Maritime and logistics
 
     With this strong backing, Hong Kong never slows down in taking the city's developments to the next level. On the logistics and maritime front, I am going to focus today on two areas that the Government has been actively promoting – tax concessions and sustainability. Over the past few years, a series of tax measures have been put in place to make our maritime package even more attractive to businesses. These concessions cover qualified ship leasing activities by ship lessors and ship leasing managers, marine insurance businesses, as well as ship agents, ship managers and ship brokers. All these have created a welcoming ecosystem for the international maritime enterprises to thrive in Hong Kong. 
 
     On the other hand, we are committed to developing a smart port to strengthen our competitiveness. We are enhancing port efficiency while going green at the same time, for instance, by setting up a digitalised port community system to facilitate paperless operation and real-time information sharing. 
 
     To consolidate efforts, we have recently set up a Task Force on Maritime and Port Development Strategy to accelerate the growth of Hong Kong's high value-added maritime services. The Task Force will promulgate an action plan on key strategies this year, including facilitating the transformation of global maritime and port businesses towards zero emission, and further promoting the development of smart initiatives and digitalisation in the maritime industry.   
 
Aviation

     On aviation, the much-anticipated Three-Runway System of our airport is expected to be completed next year, which will substantially increase the overall capacity and competitiveness of the airport. We are also actively pursuing the far-sighted initiative of transforming our airport into an Airport City. 
      
     Like our port, one of the highlights is how smart our airport is getting. For those of you who have recently visited Hong Kong, I am sure that you will be amazed by how the efficiency and customer experience have been enhanced by the technology we introduced. From check-in to boarding, the big data and facial recognition technologies have enabled passengers to enjoy a hassle-free journey. 
 
     In terms of cargo movement, we have some of the best cargo handling facilities in the world and we retained the position as the world's busiest cargo airport in 2022 despite the challenges of the pandemic. Our capacity in handling e-commerce cargo at our airport has continued to increase, with the completion of the expansion of DHL's Central Asia Hub in March and the expected commissioning of a premium logistics centre spearheaded by Alibaba Group's logistics arm, Cainiao Network, later this year.  
 
Talent needed
 
     With all the developments in these three sectors, I can't wait to welcome more Aussie businesses and talent to join us in Hong Kong. The Government has dedicated much effort in nurturing talent in these industries, notably with the world-renowned Hong Kong International Aviation Academy as well as the Maritime and Aviation Training Fund which has been injected with an additional HK$200 million this year. In addition, we will launch a Maritime Services Traineeship Scheme this year for young people who aspire to a career in maritime law. The recently expanded Talent List of Hong Kong covers three professions under Maritime Services as well. Together with the Top Talent Pass Scheme we rolled out last December, I see no reason why you should not consider Hong Kong as your next destination for boundless opportunities. 
 
Welcome to Hong Kong
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, seeing is believing. I can go on and on to tell you all about the offerings of Hong Kong. But there is no better way for you to experience the excitements of the Asia's World City than to hop on a flight to Hong Kong. The upcoming Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference (ALMAC) in November 2023, which is the largest of its kind in Asia, would offer you the best platform to network with logistics, maritime, air freight and supply chain management services players from around the world. ALMAC will be a part of our Hong Kong Maritime Week, which was launched in 2016 and will be scaled up this year to make your visit even more fruitful. I understand that our HKTDC colleagues in Australia are actively arranging a delegation to join ALMAC in Hong Kong. Don't miss out on such a great occasion and I look forward to seeing you all in person very soon! 
      
     Thank you for having me today and I wish you all an enjoyable evening.

     The Government announced today (June 15) that the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, under the authority delegated by the Chief Executive, has appointed five new members and reappointed six serving members to the Advisory Committee of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) for a term of two years from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2025.
 
     The membership of the SFC Advisory Committee for the new term is as follows:
 
New appointees
——————-
Professor Cai Hongbin
Dr Jia Hongrui
Mr Phillip Meyer
Mr Harold Wong Tsu-hing
Mr Wilfred Yiu Ka-yan
 
Reappointed members
—————————-
Mr Freeman Chan Yuk-sing
Ms Li Tong
Ms Fion Ng Siu-mui
Mr Tse Yung-hoi
Ms June Wong Wai-man
Ms Catherine Yien Yu-yu
 
     A Government spokesman said, "The SFC Advisory Committee comprises members from different professions. They possess extensive operational experience and professional knowledge of the financial markets. We are confident that they will provide independent and professional advice to the SFC on matters related to the SFC's policy and market regulation."
 
     The spokesman also paid tribute to the outgoing members, Professor Chan Ka-lok, Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi, Ms Winnie Pun Wing-nin, Mr Calvin Tai Chi-kin, Dr Tan Yueheng and Mr Yim Lok-kui, and expressed gratitude for their valuable contributions during their terms.
 
     The SFC Advisory Committee was established under Section 7 of the Securities and Futures Ordinance to advise the SFC on policy matters regarding its regulatory objectives and functions. In addition to the 11 appointed members, the SFC Advisory Committee comprises the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and two Executive Directors of the SFC.

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (June 15) the June 2023 issue of the "Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics" (HKMDS).
 
     Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains two feature articles entitled "The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong" and "Statistics on Students of University Grants Committee Funded Programmes". Statistics presented in the "Statistics on Students of University Grants Committee Funded Programmes" article are based on the data source from the University Grants Committee Secretariat.
 
"The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong"
 
     The cultural and creative industries are among the most dynamic economic sectors in Hong Kong, contributing to both economic growth and job creation. They comprise a set of knowledge-based activities that deploy creativity and intellectual capital as primary inputs and deliver goods and services with cultural, artistic and creative contents. This feature article provides the statistics of the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong for 2017 to 2021.
 
     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 6962; email: asps@censtatd.gov.hk).
 
"Statistics on Students of University Grants Committee Funded Programmes"
 
     The University Grants Committee (UGC) is a non-statutory body which advises the Government on the funding allocation and strategic development of higher education in Hong Kong. This feature article analyses the statistics on university students of programmes funded through the UGC to reflect the development of the UGC-funded sector in Hong Kong since 2016/17 academic year.
 
     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Statistics Unit, University Grants Committee Secretariat (Tel: 2844 9919; email: ugc@ugc.edu.hk).
 
     Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 140 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1010002&scode=460).
 
     Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Dissemination Section (1) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738; email: gen-enquiry@censtatd.gov.hk).