Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow says the Department of Health has completed its inspection of 25 local drug manufacturers and found no serious errors, apart from those reported earlier.

Dr Chow today told reporters the Hospital Authority has conducted an internal audit of all its drugs and consumables and will report any discrepancy or irregularity.

"As far as I can foresee, with the strengthening of this process, there would be continuous reporting of any particular incident, particularly with human error involved in the future.

"But it is important for every party to respond timely, to resolve any issue regarding drug problem, and also to report to the public to let them know about the risk of handling drugs so that they know the risk involved in healthcare."

On the hand, foot and mouth disease in the Mainland, Dr Chow said the Ministry of Health's report showed most cases were in the northern provinces, including Shandong and Henan.

He said there were now more than 40,000 reported cases there, and more than 10 deaths. While Hong Kong sees outbreaks of this disease from time to time, this year, the numbers are similar to those reported in recent years.

Expecting the flu season to end soon, Dr Chow said the respiratory syncytial virus will be the next virus affecting children.