Breaking news: chp vigilantly watching human case of avian influenza a(h5n6) on mainland
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 27) closely monitoring a human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) on the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
The case involves a 52-year-old female living in Quanzhou city in Fujian Province, who had exposure to backyard poultry before the onset of symptoms. She developed symptoms on April 13 and was admitted to a hospital for treatment on April 20. She passed away on April 30.
From 2014 to date, 90 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) have been reported by Mainland health authorities.
"All novel influenza A infections, including H5N6, 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 aredirtied 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.
âThe public may visit the CHP's pages for more information: theavian influenzapage, the weeklyAvian Influenza Report,global statistics and affected areasof avian influenza, theFacebook Pageand theYouTube Channel.
Source: AI-generated images
Second large-scale drill and counter-terrorism and major incident exercise conducted at Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (August 15) conducted the second large-scale drill at the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area, together with an inter-departmental counter-terrorism and major incident exercise, with a view to further testing the overall management of passenger and vehicular flows at the port building and the public transport interchange (PTI), as well as strengthening the response capabilities of various departments in case of emergencies.
About 5 000 civil servants from around 30 bureaux and departments had been mobilised for this drill. They were instructed to take different modes of public transport to arrive at the port, and then proceeded to the departure hall and the arrival hall of the port building. Subsequently, they followed the instruction to leave the port by taking public transport. Participants and vehicles dispatched by various public transport operators participated in cyclical trials involving more than 250 departures to simulate the flow of people and vehicles arriving and departing from the port.
Participants in the drill simulated queuing for immigration clearance procedures in the departure hall and the arrival hall to test the relevant crowd-control arrangements.
This drill also featured a new "crowd concentrated-flow test". A large number of participants were first held on designated floors as instructed, with a view to creating a short-term unforeseen surge pressure subsequently by simulating a situation where a large number of passengers arrive and proceed to the PTI. This is to test inter-departmental co-ordination arrangements and further test the effectiveness of the management of passenger and vehicular flows and various supporting measures.
During the drill, different types of tests were also featured. These included simulating the operational arrangement of small vehicles crossing the boundary, simulating a large number of passengers queuing in the departure hall to use the clearance facilities, a large number of passengers gathering at the PTI to wait for individual public transport services, the Department of Health's quarantine station discovering suspected cases of infection and requesting ambulancemen to co-operate in handling the situation, and the taxi management arrangements being activated in response to a large number of taxis going to the PTI.
After the flow test, an inter-departmental counter-terrorism exercise was conducted at the departure hall on the fifth floor of the port building in the Hong Kong area. The exercise simulated a scenario in which extremists were discovered to be in possession of firearms and ammunition, who then launched a shooting attack, causing mass casualties and requiring immediate evacuation. The exercise aimed to enhance departments' co-ordination and response capabilities in handling terrorism and violence-related intelligence and responding to different forms of terrorist attacks.
Next, different departments conducted a major-incident exercise, which simulated a serious traffic accident on the new connecting road to the port, thereby hindering vehicles from using the original route to enter the port. Traffic was redirected under police instruction to use the southbound route, with one-lane two-way, intermittent access to the port's PTI. Vehicles were also directed to leave the port and return to the urban area.
Representatives from various bureaux, departments and organisations participated in the drill, including the Security Bureau, the Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Immigration Department, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department, the Department of Health, the Fire Services Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Government Property Agency, the Digital Policy Office, the Office of the Communications Authority, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Civil Aid Service, the Auxiliary Medical Service, and various public transport operators.
The Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, inspected the drill on-site. Immediately after the drill, Mr Tang held a meeting with the participating departments to review the flow and suggestions given by the participants, in order to make further enhancements in subsequent drills.
The drill was conducted smoothly. The HKSAR Government will continue to conduct drills and tests of various scales to improve detailed arrangements to prepare comprehensively for the opening of the port. The HKSAR Government will work closely with the Shenzhen side to press ahead with the various preparatory tasks at full steam. Upon confirmation by both sides that the port is ready for safe and smooth operation, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong will finalise the official opening date of the Huanggang Port and make timely announcements to the public.
Source: AI-found images
