Tag Archives: China

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (March 3) 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 February 23 to March 1, the CHP recorded two community-acquired LD cases. The details of the cases are as follows:
 

1. A 74-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Tuen Mun District; and
2. An 80-year-old male patient with underlying illnesses living in Eastern District.

     The CHP is conducting epidemiological investigations to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any.

     As of March 1, 21 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

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on February 28 to noon today (March 3), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 417 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category, in the past three days (including last Saturday and Sunday). No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 150 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 119 554 samples of food imported from Japan (including 78 501 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 27 676 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.
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     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, March 3, 2025 is 107.3 (same as last Saturday’s index).

     â€‹The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, March 1, 2025 was 107.3 (same as last Friday’s index). read more

     Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, at a media session after attending the Taxi Fleet Launching Ceremony today (March 3): Reporter: Is there room for more fleets in the… read more

     The Government today (March 3) announced that the five selected taxi fleet operators will soon commence service gradually, marking an important step to enhance taxi service quality and reform the taxi trade.

     The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, accompanied by the Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, and the Commissioner for Transport, Ms Angela Lee, attended the Taxi Fleet Launching Ceremony at the Transport Department (TD) Vehicle Examination Complex this morning. Other officiating guests were Legislative Council (LegCo) Member (Transport) Mr Frankie Yick; LegCo Member Dr Chan Han-pan; the Chairman of the LegCo Panel on Transport, Mr Chan Siu-hung; and the Deputy Chairman of the LegCo Panel on Transport, Mr Yiu Pak-leung.

     Addressing the Launching Ceremony, Ms Chan said that the Taxi Fleet Launching Ceremony marked an important milestone of the taxi trade’s development in Hong Kong. The Government introduced a series of measures to enhance taxi services in the past two years, and the introduction of a new taxi fleet regime was one of the key initiatives. Under the TD’s regulatory regime, operators form fleets with professional management and good use of technologies to provide quality service for passengers, bringing a new look to the taxi trade.

     She said that, following years of development and challenges, the taxi trade in Hong Kong can only make continuous improvement in the taxi service level to meet the expectations of the public and tourists by keeping up with the times with proactive and innovative reforms. She said she looks forward to the taxi fleets playing a leading role, injecting new impetus into the taxi trade and providing more quality services.

     At the Launching Ceremony, representatives of the five selected operators (in alphabetical order of company name), namely Big Boss Taxi Company Limited, CMG Fleet Management Limited, Sino Development (International) Company Limited, SynCab Service Limited and Tai Wo Management Limited, introduced the features and highlights of their fleets respectively, including the vehicle models to be deployed, their body designs and logos, compartment facilities and safety devices.

     The selected operators comprise three urban fleets and two mixed fleets, with a size ranging from 300 to 1 000 taxis each, providing a total of over 3 500 taxis, which account for nearly 20 per cent of the total number of taxis in Hong Kong. The selected operators will deploy about 1 500 new vehicles as fleet taxis at the time of service commencement. They will provide electric taxis, wheelchair-accessible taxis and premium taxis for passengers to promote green transport and cater for the diverse travel needs of individuals.

     To ensure service quality, all fleets must provide online hailing services, customer service hotlines and different electronic communication channels for passengers to select appropriate vehicle types based on their needs, and rate driver services. In addition, all fleet taxis will provide multiple electronic payment means, while safety devices and driver monitoring systems will be equipped for passengers’ convenience and driving safety. For passengers’ easy identification, all fleet taxis are required to display a fleet taxi certificate and a fleet taxi plate.

     The TD issued conditional grants of the Taxi Fleet Licence to five selected operators in end-July 2024, and they are required to complete the gearing-up work and commence service within one year. The first fleet is expected to start service by end-March 2025 the earliest. The TD will monitor the fleet’s operations and continue to actively promote the remaining fleets to commence operations as soon as possible.

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