The public should take preventive measures against upper respiratory tract infections and acute diarrhoea, the Department of Health says.

According to the department, increased institutional outbreaks of respiratory tract infections were reported over the past two weeks.

From February 1-12, 23 reports of upper respiratory tract infection outbreaks affecting 228 people were investigated by the department.

All reports came from schools except one, which came from an elderly people's home. Ten upper respiratory tract outbreaks were reported during January.

Nine of the outbreaks in January and this month were confirmed by laboratory tests to be influenza.

In Hong Kong, the usual peak season for influenza occurs around February and March, the department said.

More seek treatment for acute diarrhoea

Meanwhile, there was also a rise in the consultation rates for acute diarrhoea over the past three weeks.

The acute diarrhoea rates per 1,000 consultations were 4.7, 8.5 and 7.4 in General Out-patient Clinics for the weeks ending January 24, January 31 and February 7 respectively.

The consultation rates at private practitioners were 47, 47.8 and 51.3 in these three consecutive weeks.

During this period, 14 institutional outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis were reported. Most of these outbreaks were laboratory confirmed to have been caused by Norwalk-like viruses.