Tag Archives: China

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (June 1) received notification from the National Health Commission on a human case of avian influenza A(H10N3) in Jiangsu Province, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
 
     Information from the National Health Commission showed that this is the first case of human infection with avian influenza A(H10N3) in the world. The case involved a 41-year-old male patient living in Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu Province who developed symptoms on April 23. He was admitted to hospital for medical treatment on April 28 and is now in a stable condition. His relevant close contacts did not show any abnormalities during the medical surveillance period. Upon genetic analysis, the genes of the virus were determined to be of avian origin and the H10N3 virus is low pathogenic among poultry.
 
     “All novel influenza A infections, including H10N3, are notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong,” a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     Travellers to the Mainland or other affected areas must avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets or farms. They should be alert to the presence of backyard poultry when visiting relatives and friends. They should also avoid purchasing live or freshly slaughtered poultry, and avoid touching poultry/birds or their droppings. They should strictly observe personal and hand hygiene when visiting any place with live poultry.
 
     Travellers returning from affected areas should consult a doctor promptly if symptoms develop, and inform the doctor of their travel history for prompt diagnosis and treatment of potential diseases. It is essential to tell the doctor if they have seen any live poultry during travel, which may imply possible exposure to contaminated environments. This will enable the doctor to assess the possibility of avian influenza and arrange necessary investigations and appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
 
     While local surveillance, prevention and control measures are in place, the CHP will remain vigilant and work closely with the World Health Organization and relevant health authorities to monitor the latest developments.
 
     The public should maintain strict personal, hand, food and environmental hygiene and take heed of the advice below when handling poultry:
 

• Avoid touching poultry, birds, animals or their droppings;
• When buying live chickens, do not touch them and their droppings. Do not blow at their bottoms. Wash eggs with detergent if soiled with faecal matter and cook and consume the eggs immediately. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling chickens and eggs;
• Eggs should be cooked well until the white and yolk become firm. Do not eat raw eggs or dip cooked food into any sauce with raw eggs. Poultry should be cooked thoroughly. If there is pinkish juice running from the cooked poultry or the middle part of its bone is still red, the poultry should be cooked again until fully done;
• Wash hands frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, before handling food or eating, and after going to the toilet, touching public installations or equipment such as escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing; and
• Wear a mask if fever or respiratory symptoms develop, when going to a hospital or clinic, or while taking care of patients with fever or respiratory symptoms.

     The public may visit the CHP’s pages for more information: the avian influenza page, the weekly Avian Influenza Report, global statistics and affected areas of avian influenza, the Facebook Page and the YouTube Channel. read more

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the new Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Liu Guangyuan, at Government House this afternoon (June 1).
 
     Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Liu’s assumption of office in Hong Kong. She said the HKSAR faced severe challenges in the past two years or so but it successfully overcame the difficulties with the staunch support and resolute actions of the Central Authorities. In particular, the National People’s Congress passed the Decisions on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security as well as on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR, which have stabilised the overall situation in Hong Kong and put “One Country, Two Systems” back on the right track. She expressed gratitude to the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR (OCMFA) for its continuous support for the HKSAR Government, especially as, on occasions when the HKSAR Government was subject to unfair attacks by some foreign governments and politicians with ulterior motives, the OCMFA invariably and steadfastly made clarifications to refute misleading accusations.
 
     Noting that some Hong Kong residents were stranded overseas due to the epidemic in the past year, Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the OCMFA and the country’s missions in various places for the large volume of work they did to provide support to Hong Kong residents. She said that the HKSAR Government attaches importance to developing its external affairs and that with the launch of the “Early Vaccination for All” campaign by the HKSAR Government yesterday, it is hoped that an immune barrier can be built in Hong Kong as soon as possible by significantly raising the vaccination rate, thereby allowing the early resumption of travel between people in Hong Kong and other places.
 
     She expressed the hope that under Mr Liu’s leadership, the OCMFA will continue to support the HKSAR to integrate into the overall development of the country and join hands in promoting the opportunities brought about by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, thereby expanding the room for development of young people and injecting impetus into Hong Kong’s development.

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     A man who went missing in Lantau North was located.      Pang Sing-yuen, aged 94, went missing after he left his residence in Fu Tung Estate yesterday morning (May 31). His family made a report … read more

     The Labour Department (LD) today (June 1) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for staff after rainstorms. Employers should also make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work from home as appropriate after a rainstorm warning is cancelled, with due consideration to road and traffic conditions and other factors. This will help maintain good labour-management relations, and ensure the safety of employees and the smooth operation of organisations.
 
     “For staff who have practical difficulties in resuming work on time upon cancellation of a rainstorm warning, employers should give due consideration to the situations of individual employees and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work from home or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work. As rainstorms are natural occurrences that cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume duty on time due to adverse weather conditions, employers should not withhold their wages, good attendance bonus or allowances without reasons. Employers should enquire into the reasons and give due consideration to the exceptional circumstances in each case, and should not penalise or dismiss the employee concerned rashly,” an LD spokesman said.
 
     The spokesman also reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance and the Minimum Wage Ordinance.
 
     Employers should not deduct the annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days to which employees are entitled under the Employment Ordinance so as to compensate for the loss of working hours resulting from employees’ failure to report for duty upon the issuance of a Black Rainstorm Warning. An employer who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with relevant provisions under the Employment Ordinance is liable to prosecution.
 
     Employers should also note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance.
 
     The LD has published the “Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and Rainstorms”, which outlines the major principles, the framework, the reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation for reference. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department’s webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf). read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     As the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre and the emergency hotline 2572 8427 have ceased to operate. read more