The Tree Management Office (TMO) of the Development Bureau and the Housing Department (HD) were saddened by the branch failure incident at Shun Lee Estate in Kwun Tong this morning (August 21) in which a female foreign domestic helper passed away. The TMO and the HD offered the deepest condolences to the deceased's family and her employer.
 
     Upon receipt of notification of the branch failure incident, staff of the TMO reached the scene immediately to understand the situation. The tree with branch failure is a 15-metre high Ficus elastica with a diameter of around one metre. The tree, aged around 40, is managed and maintained by the HD. The HD completed the tree inspection in June this year and on receiving the contractor's report, has arranged the contractor to conduct crown pruning and removal of dead branches by August 24. The HD's contractor started the pruning work this afternoon to reduce the risk of tree failure.
 
     The TMO and the HD have also checked the condition of nearby trees today and will undertake necessary risk mitigation and preventive measures in order to safeguard public safety.
 
     The HD will conduct detailed investigation into the cause of branch failure and submit a report to the TMO. The preliminary investigation results are expected to be available in two weeks.
 
     The Kwun Tong District Office has contacted the employer of the foreign domestic helper and will render appropriate assistance as necessary.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 21) announced that a trace amount of malachite green was found in a prepackaged eel sample. Follow-up is in progress.

     Details of the product are as follows:

Product: Not available in English
Distributor: Wellcome Company Ltd.
Use-by date: August 18, 2018

     A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS collected the eel sample from a supermarket in Causeway Bay for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained malachite green at a level of 9.7 parts per billion.

     "Malachite green is a type of industrial dye and has been used for treating infection in fish. Major agricultural economies such as the Mainland, the European Union, Canada and the United States prohibit the use of the chemicals in food fish. According to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap 132AF), no food sold in Hong Kong is allowed to contain malachite green. Offenders will be prosecuted and will be liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction."

     The CFS is following up on the unsatisfactory result, including tracing the source of the food in question and taking samples for testing. Investigation is ongoing.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     In view of the continual confirmation of local patient cases of Dengue Fever, the Hospital Authority (HA) Central Committee on Infectious Disease and Emergency Responses this (August 21) morning convened another ad hoc meeting again with representatives from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) to assess the latest risk situation as well as coordinate on the contingency response measures of public hospitals.

    "Public hospitals have raised its alertness and got prepared for the contingency response measures for managing the possible outbreak of Dengue Fever in Hong Kong", Dr Vivien Chuang, HA Chief Manager (Infection, Emergency and Contingency) said after the meeting.

     "The meeting today has deliberated on the enhanced response measures which include the placing extra orders of several thousand sets of Dengue Fever rapid test kits.  Also as an early preparation for the scenario where we have to relieve the burden on Accident and Emergency Departments if the patients with Dengue Fever symptoms are overwhelming, the phased activation of 'Designated Clinics' would then have to be considered to help take care of the suspected cases," Dr Chuang added.

     Following the first ad hoc meeting of the HA Central Committee on Infectious Disease and Emergency Responses last week, a number of enhanced measures have already been implemented to manage the potential risk of spreading of Dengue Fever:
 

• Activation of the "e-Dengue" enhanced surveillance system. Hospitals will report information on suspected cases, rapid test outcome and condition of patients to facilitate real-time review and monitoring by HA, hospitals and Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on the most updated condition of every suspected and confirmed cases through this electronic platform. CHP could also follow up on the investigation of public health accordingly;
   
• Enhanced laboratory services under the seven hospital clusters to provide rapid test for Dengue Fever on a seven-day-a-week basis to facilitate clinical diagnosis;
   
• Enhanced mosquito control measures in public hospitals and clinics as well as their construction sites to minimise mosquito breeding.  The measures include weekly fogging of insecticides at outdoor areas, application of larvicide oil and sand at water drainage, and daily inspection of hospital areas to clear stagnate water.  For those hospitals with admission of confirmed Dengue Fever patients, the hospital will enhance the frequency of fogging insecticides to every other day continuously for one month; and
   
• Enhanced internal communication to enable frontline staff to get familiarised with the enhanced measures of the contingency plan on prevention of Dengue Fever outbreak.  Infection Control Teams of cluster hospitals have been conducting staff forums and talks to explain and discuss on the arrangements of the contingency measures.
   

      The HA will continue to closely collaborate with CHP to monitor the situation of Dengue Fever infection in Hong Kong and to keep the general public and healthcare professionals posted of the most updated situation and relevant information.

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved from the Disaster Relief Fund a grant of $5.824 million to the Amity Foundation, Hong Kong for providing relief to flood victims in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces in the Mainland.
 
     Announcing the grant today (August 21), a spokesman for the Government said that the grant will be used to provide rice, flour, cooking oil and quilts to the victims. The Committee hoped the grant would facilitate the provision of timely relief to the victims and help them restore their normal living. The grant, together with those approved earlier, will take the accumulative value of grants for victims of this flooding in the Mainland to $7.015 million.
 
     "To ensure that the money is used for the designated purposes, Amity Foundation, Hong Kong will be asked to submit an evaluation report and an audited account on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed," the spokesman said.

     Police today (August 21) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tsuen Wan.

     Ho Chi-nang, aged 75, went missing after he left his residence on Hoi Pa Street yesterday (August 20) afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 60 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a long face with yellow complexion and short straight white hair. He was last seen wearing a light green T-shirt, grey trousers, slippers, and carrying a walking stick.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 5613 6963, or email to rmpu-nts-1@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.