The Department of Health (DH), the Hospital Authority (HA) and the Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association today (March 23) jointly staged a health exhibition with educational activities for World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2019 to remind the public to keep on paying attention to TB and staying vigilant against it.
 
     The Under Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Chui Tak-yi, at the opening ceremony said that TB has been one of the major infectious diseases posing a threat to human health. He said that there is no room for complacency in the prevention and control of TB as it is still prevalent in many places worldwide including the Asia-Pacific region, and called on the public to remain vigilant against the disease as the local TB notification rate is still higher than the rates in some European and American countries and regions.
 
     Dr Chui said the Government attaches great importance to the prevention and control of TB. In recent years, the DH and the HA have adopted molecular technology in quick testing which enables early diagnoses of TB and prevents the disease from transmitting in the community. New drugs have also been adopted to provide more effective treatment for drug-resistant TB. 
 
     Also addressing the ceremony, the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the DH, Dr Wong Ka-hing, pointed out that the number of TB cases reported in Hong Kong dropped from 697 per 100 000 people per year in 1952 to 58.1 per 100 000 people per year  (provisional figure) in 2018. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s statistics, about 10 million new TB cases were reported globally in 2017 and 1.6 million people died from the disease. In addition, the number of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases is estimated to be 460 000 globally.
 
     Dr Wong added that the incidence rate of MDR-TB has remained at a low level in Hong Kong, but threats posed to the territory by MDR-TB should not be underestimated due to the close contact between the people in Hong Kong and in the neighbouring areas as well as the relatively high incidence rates of MDR-TB in many neighbouring areas.
 
     The WHO has designated March 24 of each year as World TB Day to encourage global efforts to combat TB together. Other officiating guests at the ceremony today included the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association, Mr Steve Lan, and the HA Chief Manager (Infection, Emergency and Contingency), Dr Vivien Chuang.
 
     The CHP has launched a new announcement in the public interest for broadcast on TV and radio to promote public awareness in combating TB. For more TB-related information, services and figures, the public may also visit the CHP's page on World TB Day (www.info.gov.hk/tb_chest/worldtbday.htm) and the website of the Tuberculosis and Chest Service (www.info.gov.hk/tb_chest), call the telephone hotline (2572 6024) or browse the WHO's TB page (www.who.int/tb). 

      

     Electors of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council Tai Nan Constituency are urged to vote in the by-election in their constituency tomorrow (March 24).
 
     One polling station will be open to electors from 7.30am to 10.30pm. It is located at the Fresh Fish Traders' School, 33 Sycamore Street, Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon.
 
     "Electors must bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other specified alternative documents to the designated polling station to collect their ballot paper to cast their vote. Voting is very simple. Electors must use the chop provided by the polling station to stamp the ballot paper with a tick in the circle opposite the name of the chosen candidate, and fold the ballot paper inward in half before putting it into the ballot box," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said today (March 23).
 
     If any Tai Nan Constituency electors who are remanded or detained by law enforcement agencies other than the Correctional Services Department (CSD) on the polling day wish to vote in this by-election, they will be arranged to cast their votes at the dedicated polling station located at Cheung Sha Wan Police Station, 880 Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon. The polling hours will be from 7.30am to 10.30pm.
 
     Should there be any electors of the Tai Nan Constituency imprisoned or remanded in the CSD's custody on the polling day, arrangements will be made for them to vote at dedicated polling stations set up at their respective penal institutions. For security reasons, polling hours for the dedicated polling stations at penal institutions will be from 9am to 4pm.
 
     The voting procedure for electors and the venue setup at the dedicated polling stations will be basically the same as those of the ordinary polling station.
 
     The spokesman reminded the public that according to the law, the polling stations are restricted areas accessible only by electors and authorised persons.
 
     "Unauthorised persons are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones or any other device for electronic communication, taking photographs, filming, and making video or audio recordings at the polling stations," he said.
 
     Enquiries about the by-election can be made to the election hotline at 2891 1001, which will operate from 7am to 11pm tomorrow.
 
     A complaints hotline (2827 7251) will be in service from 7.30am to 11pm tomorrow to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules or guidelines.
 
     Once the poll is closed, the polling station at the Fresh Fish Traders' School will be converted into a counting station. The public will be able to watch the vote counting within the designated area at the counting station.
 
     To protect the secrecy of votes, the ballot boxes at the dedicated polling stations will be delivered to the counting station at the Fresh Fish Traders' School for opening after the close of polling. The ballot papers concerned will be mixed with the ballot papers cast at the Fresh Fish Traders' School before counting of votes begins.
 
     The election result will be announced at the counting station at the Fresh Fish Traders' School.
 
     The two candidates contesting this by-election are Lee Kwok Kuen (No. 1) and Li Sze Man (No. 2). 
 
     The elected candidate will fill the vacant seat of the elected member of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council.

     Following is the transcript of remarks at a media session by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, after attending a radio programme this morning (March 23):
 
Reporter: Only 30% of the residential land of the Lantau Tomorrow Vision project will be private housing. Will it be enough to breakeven the $624 billion price tag?
 
Secretary for Development: On the calculation of land revenue, if using the lower bound, which is basically around 45,000 private residential units. Basically, we use that as a basis for speculating upon the revenue from land sale in the future. So in doing that calculation, we’ve already factored in the fact that 70 per cent of the residential units on (the artificial islands near) Kau Yi Chau will be public housing.

     (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
 

     The annual spectacular Hong Kong Flower Show at Victoria Park will close at 9pm tomorrow (March 24). Members of the public who wish to see the tens of thousands of beautiful flowers at the event should not miss the last chance to visit.
 
     The Chinese hibiscus is the flower show's theme flower this year. After the show, Chinese hibiscus that are suitable for replanting and ones that are still in good condition will be distributed to the public at 10.30am on March 25 at the park's South Pavilion Plaza (near the Sugar Street entrance). It is expected that about 5 000 pots will be distributed depending on the conditions of the plants. Each person can get one pot only on a first-come, first-served basis while stocks last. To help protect the environment, members of the public are encouraged to bring their own bags.
 
     Recreational fringe activities are also being held in the showground, and the Jockey Club Student Drawing Competition had its prize presentation ceremony today (March 23). Winning entries are now on display at the showground.
 
     The competition was conducted in four categories. The champions of each category are as follows:
 
Junior Section in Primary School:
Chen Xiang-tao from HKFEW Wong Cho Bau School
Senior Section in Primary School:
Chen Tsz-tung from Tin Shui Wai Government Primary School
Junior Section in Secondary School:
Hou Yuen-ting from CCC Kei Yuen College
Senior Section in Secondary School:
Chan Hiu-ching from CCC Kei Yuen College
 
     For enquiries, please call 2601 8260, or visit the flower show webpage at www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/hkfs/2019/index.html.
 
     The flower show is organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is supporting the flower show for the seventh consecutive year and has been the Major Sponsor of the flower show since 2014.

        

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 23) investigating two cases of measles infection and hence reminded the public again that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles.
 
     The first case involves a 41-year-old man with good past health, who developed fever and rash on March 12. He sought medical advice at North Lantau Hospital on March 21 and was transferred and admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for further management on the same day. His throat swab specimen tested positive for measles virus upon laboratory testing. He is in a stable condition.
 
     The patient reported to have received measles vaccination and have no contact with measles patients during the incubation period. He worked in the same airline as an earlier measles case announced on March 15 but did not report direct contact with that case. He travelled to a number of countries including Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines during the incubation and communicable periods. His home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far and have been put under medical surveillance. According to the patient, he had no significant exposure to public places locally during the communicable period.
 
     Initial epidemiological investigations revealed that the incubation period and communicable period of this case overlapped with that of the outbreak of measles infection announced yesterday (March 22) which involved three patients working at the Hong Kong International Airport. Relevant contact tracing, including the patient’s close work contacts on the concerned flights, are being conducted. The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.
 
     The second case involves an 11-month-old baby girl with good past health, who developed fever on March 16 and rash on March 19. She attended private clinics on March 17 and 19. She was brought to Tuen Mun Hospital for medical attention on March 20 and was admitted for treatment. Her nasopharyngeal aspirate tested positive for measles virus upon laboratory testing. She is in a stable condition.
 
     The patient is not yet suitable for measles vaccination. Investigations revealed that she had no contact with measles patients during the incubation period. She had no travel history during the communicable period but had travelled to Taiwan during the incubation period. Her home contacts developed sore throat recently but have all recovered. They have been put under medical surveillance.
 
     Relevant contact tracing has been conducted. The public places the baby girl visited during the communicable period are listed below:
 

 
     "Our epidemiological investigations of the outbreak announced last night are continuing. To prevent possible spread of infection at the airport, a vaccination station will be set up at the airport starting today to provide measles vaccination to non-immune people working there if necessary. A hotline (2125 1122) is setup for public enquiries and will operate from 9am to 5.45pm daily," a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     The spokesman explained that measles is a highly infectious disease caused by the measles virus. It can be transmitted by airborne droplets spread or direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected persons, and, less commonly, by articles soiled with nose and throat secretions. A patient can pass the disease to other persons from four days before to four days after the appearance of skin rash.
 
     The spokesman reminded, "The incubation period of measles ranges from seven days to up to 21 days. Contacts who are not immune to measles may develop relevant symptoms, such as fever, skin rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes, in the incubation period. They should observe if they develop such symptoms in the period. If symptoms arise, they should wear surgical masks, stop going to work or school and avoid going to crowded places. They should avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially persons with weakened immunity, pregnant women and children aged below 1.They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to the healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread."
 
     In Hong Kong, children are given the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 1 year old, followed by a second dose at Primary One under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme. The coverage of MMR vaccination in Hong Kong is over 95 per cent at Primary One.

    "Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. Members of the public who are planning to travel to places with high incidence or outbreaks of measles should review their vaccination history and past medical history, especially people born outside Hong Kong who might not have received measles vaccination during childhood. The history of measles vaccination in Hong Kong is available in the CHP's measles thematic page. Those who have not received two doses of measles-containing vaccines, with unknown vaccination history or with unknown immunity against measles are urged to consult their doctor for advice on vaccination at least two weeks before departure," the spokesman said.
 
     Besides being vaccinated against measles, members of the public should take the following measures to prevent infection:
 
• Maintain good personal and environmental hygiene;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly;
• Wash hands when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, such as after sneezing;
• Cover the nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly;
• Clean used toys and furniture properly; and
• Persons with measles should be kept out of school till four days from the appearance of rash to prevent spread of the infection to non-immune persons in school.
 
     For more information on measles, please visit the CHP's measles thematic page. For outbreak news of measles outside Hong Kong or the latest travel health advice, please visit the website of DH's Travel Health Service.