DH following up on cluster of infections of disease of temporarily unknown cause in Democratic Republic of Congo
Following reports of a cluster of infections of a disease of temporarily unknown cause in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (December 5) that it had taken the initiative to seek further information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the DRC health authorities.
According to the information announced by the DRC health authorities, since late October, 79 deaths due to a disease of still unknown cause have been recorded in a district in Kwango province, and more than 300 people have been infected. Most of the patients were aged above 15 and suffered from fever, headache, runny nose, cough, breathing difficulty and anaemia.
"Under the current mechanism, Hong Kong has been equipped with the ability to detect infections of unknown cause and emerging infectious diseases at boundary control points and hospitals. On the immigration level, the DH has been conducting temperature screening for arrivals at all boundary control points. Those who are found to have a fever will be assessed and transferred to public hospitals for medical examination as appropriate. Upon noticing that a disease of temporarily unknown cause in the DRC, the DH has immediately tried to collect the latest information from various channels to conduct risk assessment and formulate appropriate preventive and control measures," a spokesman for the CHP said.
There are currently no direct flights between the DRC and Hong Kong. The CHP has learned from the trade that travellers coming to Hong Kong from the DRC may generally choose transit hubs in Africa to Hong Kong, including Johannesburg in South Africa and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. In light of the disease of temporarily unknown cause in the DRC, the CHP has, as a precautionary measure, immediately stepped up health screenings at the airport for passengers on all flights arriving in Hong Kong from the above-mentioned transit hubs. Port Health staff have been arranged to carry out temperature checks for travellers at the relevant flight gates, conduct medical assessments for symptomatic travellers and refer suspected cases of infections with public health significance to hospitals for medical examination.
"Members of the public who plan to go to the DRC should be vigilant and pay attention to personal and environmental hygiene at all times, and avoid visiting crowded places and having contact with sick persons. Upon returning to Hong Kong, one should seek medical treatment as soon as possible if they feel unwell and take the initiative to inform their doctors of their relevant travel history," he added.
Since October, the DH has not received any reports of people or travellers arriving in Hong Kong from the DRC suffering from unknown diseases.
"The DH will continue to closely monitor the situation in the DRC and WHO's related information, and take appropriate preventive and control measures based on risk assessment to protect public health," the spokesman said.
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video)
The Transport Department (TD) announced today (July 23) that a pilot licence for autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been updated in accordance with section 20(3)(b) of the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicles) Regulation (Cap. 374AA) to further expand the AV trial in North Lantau, including commencing a driverless trial on Airport Island.
In February, the TD approved AVs on Airport Island trial routes to be monitoredby operators in the remote control centre, in addition to the in-vehicle backup operators. The trials of remote operation to date have met the requirements regarding safety, stability, accuracy and smoothness. Upon examining the test reports and conducting multiple site inspections, the TD is satisfied with the safety performance of AVs, with no abnormalities detected so far. While ensuring road safety, the TD has approved the driverless tests to commence on Airport Island with no in-vehicle backup operators. In addition, for the Tung Chung and Sunny Bay trial, remote backup operators will be introduced on top of in-vehicle backup operators to test remote operations.
The Commissioner for Transport, Miss Winnie Tse, said, "The launch of fully remote testing for Hong Kong's first AV pilot licence trial has achieved the driverless operations. This marks an important step toward realising the goals of driverless, scaled-up and commercialised AV operations as set out in the Policy Address and the Transport Strategy Blueprint, as well as achieving a milestone in accelerating the introduction of autonomous driving locally. I will continue to lead the Autonomous Vehicle Applications Promotion Working Group, working with its members from the industry and different departments, to monitor the progress of various trials and provide the necessary support and co-ordination, promoting the safe development of AVs in a proactive and orderly manner."
The updated details of the pilot licence have been uploaded to the TD's website on AV trials. The TD's pilot AV labels must be displayed on all pilot AVs for identification by other road users. To facilitate easier identification of AVs undergoing driverless trials by drivers and pedestrians, additional labels (see attachment)will be put up on the vehicle body to indicate that a fully driverless test of an AV is in progress.
The TD welcomes interested organisations or enterprises to submit applications for a pilot licence for AVs. Upon receipt of an application, the TD will consider various factors, including the operational design domain and functions of the autonomous driving system, relevant national or international standards/guidelines, and the road testing conditions, based on the Code of Practice for Trial and Pilot Use of Autonomous Vehicles, before approval.
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
TD approves expansion of autonomous vehicles trial in North Lantau and commencement of driverless trial on Airport Island (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
