A hygiene campaign for cargo handling areas, warehouses and factories will be launched on December 15 to remind their managers to take special precautionary measures against rodents.
The move comes after Food & Environmental Hygiene Department surveys last year found rat-flea indices for public cargo handling areas in Cha Kwo Ling and Western are high, suggesting that plague could be introduced to Hong Kong from elsewhere.
The department's Community Medicine Consultant Dr Ho Yuk-yin said the two-phased campaign, to be run from December 15 to January 10 and in July next year, aims to arouse public awareness on the issue.
"The campaign aims to lower our risk by enhancing our rodent prevention and control work at cargo handling areas, as well as in factories and warehouses," he said.
Rodents can transmit a variety of diseases such as plague, hantaviral disease, scrub typhus, urban typhus and spotted fever.
Scrub typhus cases on the rise
Although relatively few cases of rodent-related diseases have been reported in the past few years, the number of scrub typhus cases has been on the rise.
In the first 11 months of this year, 12 scrub typhus cases were recorded, compared with eight in last year, three in 2001 and two in 2000.
Scrub typhus is transmitted by Trombiculid mites, which are only one to two millimetres in length and can be found on rodents.
Symptoms are fever, headache and conjunctival congestion, skin sores and rash. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.
Take precautions when visiting the countryside
Dr Ho appealed to people to take preventive measures when visiting the countryside to avoid contracting the disease.
"They should apply insect repellent to their bodies and clothing, wear light coloured long-sleeved shirts and trousers, avoid stopping to rest in scrubby areas and disinfest their pets regularly.
"Although no plague cases have been recorded locally since 1929, we should always remain watchful. Hong Kong still faces a high risk of plague because the disease occurs from time to time in neighbouring regions."
Enforcement, inspections to be strengthened
During the campaign period, the department will step up enforcement, inspect cargo working areas, warehouses and factories to ensure that a high standard of environmental hygiene is maintained.
Advice on proper storage practices and rectification of structural defects to discourage rodent infestation will also be given to the management of the premises.
Dr Ho noted that rodent surveys and disinfestations in public places near cargo handling areas and blackspots will also be carried out.
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