April 05, 2013

Additional measures will be implemented to boost Hong Kong’s resistance to, and detection of, the H7N9 virus.
 
Secretary for Food & Health Dr Ko Wing-man made the pledge today, saying a seven-year-old girl who visited Shanghai last month has been isolated in a Hong Kong hospital, and is being tested for the virus. She came down with flu symptoms after contacting live poultry.
 
Her immediate relatives have no symptoms so far.
 
Dr Ko said he held a meeting with the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, and the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department this morning, to review preventive and surveillance measures against the virus.
 
In another meeting today, the Chief Secretary asked all departments to work closely on the issue, saying the Government will provide all the resources and manpower needed to cope with it.
 
From tomorrow the Department of Health will deploy staff from the Auxiliary Medical Services and the Civil Aid Service, and Health Surveillance Assistants to all immigration control points to conduct random temperature checks on travellers, using hand-held temperature devices.
 
He said the department will implement the health declaration arrangement at all control points.
 
Tests will be conducted on imported chickens at the Man Kam To boundary checkpoint next week to ensure the birds are virus-free. If infected birds are found the Government will consider culling all poultry and suspending Mainland poultry imports.
 
Other measures include enhancing the inspection and cleaning of poultry wholesale markets, public markets, and streets.
 
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department and the Housing Department will enhance the surveillance of hygiene blackspots and strengthen cleaning and prosecution work.
 
Tests on dead wild birds and poultry samples will be enhanced.
 
Dr Ko said the Hospital Authority has 38 million surgical masks and 1.4 million N95 masks, which is sufficient for all medical staff for three months. It will designate clinics for infected patients or people suspected to be infected if there are human infections.
 
The Government will immediately upgrade the preparedness plan from 'alert' to 'serious' response level when the virus is detected in poultry, or there is human infection in Hong Kong.