Travellers' alert:
Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Leung Ting-hung gave an update on the developments regarding Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Travellers' alert:
Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Leung Ting-hung gave an update on the developments regarding Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
Reminders set for Middle East travellers
August 26, 2013
The Centre for Health Protection will step up health education for travellers bound for October's pilgrimage to the Middle East.
“We will provide relevant information to travellers through travel agencies and our usual health education channels," the centre's Controller Dr Leung Ting-hung told reporters today.
"We have also contacted ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong and will organise a briefing next month to update them on the latest disease situation and preventive measures."
They will be reminded to pay attention to personal, food and environmental hygiene, he added.
Dr Leung met the media after a meeting of the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases to discuss the latest situation regarding Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and human cases of avian influenza A, or H7N9.
So far, more than 100 MERS cases have been confirmed in the Middle East and related areas, with more than 80% of the cases reported since April. About half of the cases were fatal, Dr Leung said.
Among the cases, about half were isolated cases while the rest occurred in clusters. Person-to-person transmission had occurred in the household and work environments, and among healthcare workers, but sustained human-to-human transmission has not occurred.
“We will continue to maintain close liaison with relevant health authorities and we have reminded our healthcare colleagues in hospitals to maintain stringent control measures,” he added.
The meeting today also reviewed the latest H7N9 developments. Members agreed measures suggested earlier should be maintained, including bolstering public health education and liaising closely with Mainland and international health authorities. The committee will also pay attention to the development of a vaccine for humans against the disease.
