Vibrio cholera found in public market stall fish tank water in Kowloon City
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (July 30) ordered the temporary closure of a public market stall in Kowloon City for thorough disinfection following the detection of Vibrio cholera in a water sample collected from its fish tank.
The market stall is located at stall No. F22, 1/F, To Kwa Wan Market, 165 Ma Tau Wai Road, Kowloon. The water sample was taken from a fish tank inside the market stall on July 24. The test result obtained this afternoon confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholera O1, hence the FEHD took immediate follow-up actions.
To protect public health, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene ordered the immediate closure of the market stall under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
The market stall will remain closed for a thorough cleaning and disinfection of the premises and fish tanks until the Director is satisfied with its overall hygiene condition and believes that there is no immediate health hazard.
A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Vibrio cholerae cannot survive under high temperature and can be killed by thorough cooking."
The spokesman urged members of the public to pay attention to personal and food hygiene, and observe the following guidelines to prevent cholera:
- Wash and scrub shellfish thoroughly;
- Clean the seafood and remove the internal organs, and cook thoroughly before consumption;
- Raw and cooked food must be handled with separate sets of utensils to avoid cross-contamination; and
- Raw and cooked food should be stored separately. Cooked food should be placed on the upper shelf of a refrigerator.
Source: AI-found images
Hong Kong Customs detects two drug trafficking cases involving incoming passengers at airport
Hong Kong Customs today (July 30) detected two drug trafficking cases at Hong Kong International Airport and seized a total of about 18 kilograms of suspected ketamine and about 3kg of suspected cannabis buds, with a total estimated market value of about $7.9 million. Two persons were arrested.
In the first case, a local woman, aged 35, arrived in Hong Kong from Zurich, Switzerland, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found about 18kg of suspected ketamine, with an estimated market value of about $7.3 million, inside her check-in suitcase. She was subsequently arrested.
In the second case, a Malaysian male passenger, aged 27, arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found about 3kg of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $0.6 million, inside his check-in suitcase. He was subsequently arrested.
Investigation of the two cases are ongoing.
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Hong Kong Customs detects two drug trafficking cases involving incoming passengers at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs detects two drug trafficking cases involving incoming passengers at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
