Flu prevention: Health authorities of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau join an exercise on infectious diseases.

Health authorities of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau held a joint communication exercise today to test their co-operation and co-ordination in the event of cross-border avian flu cases involving people.

Leading Hong Kong's team, Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow said the exercise has enhanced collaboration and communication among the three places in emergency preparedness and response in a public-health crisis.

He said it was a valuable opportunity to review their response actions through videoconferencing in their respective command and control centres.

Director of Health Dr PY Lam said his department will boost its work with the Mainland and Macau counterparts in preventing infectious diseases.

The joint exercise, code-named Great Wall 2007, was the second one organised under the Co-operation Agreement on Response Mechanism for Public Health Emergencies signed by the three places in 2005.

It involved a scenario in which several members of a Mainland family were infected with avian flu during a visit to a poultry market. One had travelled on public transport to Hong Kong through Macau before the symptoms emerged.

Emergency responses were tested in the exercise, including the notification system, epidemiological investigation of affected patients, contact tracing and medical surveillance for probable cases.

More than 60 public-health officials and medical personnel from the Food & Health Bureau, Department of Health, Hospital Authority, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Province Health Department and Macau Health Bureau took part in the exercise.