The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding a male patient who was confirmed as a Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) carrier on April 16, the spokesperson for Tseung Kwan O Hospital made the following announcement today (April 23):
 
     In accordance with the prevailing infection control guidelines, the hospital has performed contact tracing and three more male patients aged from 66 to 85 were confirmed as VRE carriers. One of the contacts passed away due to his underlying illness. The first patient and the other two carriers are still hospitalised under isolation. Their clinical condition is stable.
 
     The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.
 

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health (DH) said today (April 23) that no additional case of measles infection has been recorded as at 4pm today.

     Regarding measles control measures implemented at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), a total of 10 persons received measles vaccination at the airport vaccination station as at 6pm today, bringing the cumulative number of vaccinations given to 8 264.

     From tomorrow to Sunday (April 24 to 28), the vaccination quota for the measles vaccination station at the airport remains at 500 doses daily. Vaccination for eligible airport staff will be provided to the following target groups who:

(1) Were born in or after 1967, and have not received two doses of measles vaccination, and have not been infected with measles before, and with evidence of living with infants under 1 year old or living with pregnant women; or

(2) Have laboratory evidence of testing not positive against measles antibody (IgG)

     Details of evidence are as follows:

(a) Supporting documents for living with infants under 1 year old: for example, birth certificate, discharge summary or vaccination card of the infant

(b) Supporting documents for living with pregnant women: for example, positive pregnancy tests or antenatal follow-up cards of the pregnant women

(c) Supporting documents for laboratory evidence: for example, blood results from the DH's measles serology test or any laboratory within the past 12 months

     The venue and operation hours of the airport vaccination station are as follows:
 

     As for the blood test service, the DH will continue to arrange the provision of a measles serology test service for airport staff to identify those who need the measles vaccination. A DH contractor will continue to provide the blood test service for about 200 airport staff who were born in or after 1967 daily from tomorrow to Thursday (April 24 to 25). Nine blood samples have been collected today. The DH will notify the participants individually of the serology results.

     The venue and operation hours of the airport blood test station are as follows:
  

     A hotline (2125 1122) has been set up for public enquiries and operates during office hours from Mondays to Fridays. A total of 3 241 enquiries have been received so far. 

     "The incubation period (the period from infection to appearance of illness) of measles ranges from seven days to 21 days. Symptoms of measles include fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes. If symptoms arise, members of the public should wear surgical masks, stop going to work or school and avoid going to crowded places. They should also avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially persons with weakened immunity, pregnant women and children aged below 1. Those suspected to have been infected are advised to seek medical attention as early as possible and reveal relevant contact history of measles to healthcare professionals," the spokesman advised.

     The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) today (April 23) released Aircraft Serious Incident Preliminary Reports 2/2019 and 3/2019 on two incidents in which Captains were incapacitated from performing pilot flying duties due to physical discomfort during flights, leading to reversion to single pilot operation by the First Officers.

     The occurrences involved two Cathay Pacific flights, namely a Boeing 777-367 aircraft (registration mark B-HNP) flying from Sapporo, Japan, to Hong Kong on January 26, 2019, and an Airbus A350-941 aircraft (registration mark B-LRR) flying from Perth, Australia, to Hong Kong on February 21, 2019.

     A spokesperson for the AAIA said that the preliminary reports contain information relating to the respective serious incidents collected up to the time of issue, and must be regarded as tentative.

     "The AAIA will continue to collect and study all relevant information in order to determine the circumstances and causes of the serious incidents. More in-depth investigation and analysis have to be conducted before any conclusion can be drawn," the spokesperson said.

     The full Aircraft Serious Incident Preliminary Reports 2/2019 and 3/2019 are available for download from the AAIA webpage (www.thb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/investigation_reports/index.htm).

     The latest test results of the opening-up investigation in the second stage of the holistic assessment strategy for the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project (as at April 23) are now available at the Highways Department's website for the SCL project (www.hyd.gov.hk/en/road_and_railway/railway_projects/scl/index.html) for reference by the public.

     To tie in with World Book Day, the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) Radio 5 held a ceremony to launch "Reading Beyond Boundaries on 23 April" at the Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) today (April 23) to announce the highlight reading events this year.
 
     Participating guests in the ceremony shared their reading tips with the audience. There were also readers from different places joining the event "30-minute Read" on the theme "Reading Beyond Boundaries".
 
     Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, said that the LCSD had been making every effort to promote reading. Continuing last year's theme "Discover and Share the Joy of Reading", the LCSD will hold a series of activities covering various districts, age groups and media to encourage the public to read and to foster a reading culture.
 
     Starting this month, the HKPL will hold a series of reading promotion activities. These include the outreach paired activity "Fun Reading at Hong Kong Public Transportation", in which readers can read thematic picture books on transportation; "Share the Joy of Reading at 18 Districts" with reading activities rich in district features; the 4.23 World Book Day Creative Competition prize presentation ceremony and exhibition of award-winning entries; and "Meet-the-Authors 2019".
 
     In addition, the HKPL will collaborate with RTHK Radio 5 to introduce a new session in the radio programme "Stand By Me" from May onwards. Professionals, authors and celebrities will be invited to recommend books and share their reading experience. Old and young are encouraged to read together so that family members can share the joy of reading. Pop-up libraries have become increasingly popular since their first appearance. The next pop-up library will appear at the "2019 World Book Day Fest: Towards a Reading City – Folktaleoscope" co-organised by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research and the Education Bureau.
 
     Other guests attending the ceremony today included the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; the Director of Broadcasting, Mr Leung Ka-wing; writer Lawrence Pun and artiste Jason Chan. Artiste Roger Kwok, the "lead-reader", shared the joy of reading with the audience.
 
     Reading is beyond boundaries. The HKPL, Shenzhen Library, the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province and the Macao Public Library held the event "30-minute Read" simultaneously, aiming at cultivating a reading habit. A "Storyteller of the Theatre Wonderland" then led the participants to read a story book together, bringing children into the story world. Moreover, storytelling workshops were held at 34 other public libraries today.
 
     Details of the activities are available on the HKPL's website (www.hkpl.gov.hk) and its newly launched "Reading is Joyful" Facebook page (www.facebook.com/readingisjoyful) and Instagram page (www.instagram.com/readingisjoyful).