The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating today (September 4) one additional local case of dengue fever (DF) and again urged the public to maintain strict environmental hygiene, mosquito control and personal protective measures both locally and during travel.

     The case involves a 61-year-old female patient with underlying illness, who developed fever, headache, myalgia, cough with sputum, runny nose and skin rash since August 14. She attended Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital Family Medicine Clinic on August 23 and no hospitalisation was required. She has all along been in a stable condition.

     Her blood sample collected on August 23 tested positive for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to dengue virus but was negative in antigen and genetic testing. Thus, a second blood sample was taken and there was a more than four-fold increase in the antibody titre against the DF virus when compared with the first specimen. The case was classified as a confirmed local case today.

     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient lives in Tsui Chuk Garden in Wong Tai Sin and had visited Lion Rock Park in the end of July. She had day trips to Shenzhen in Guangdong on July 31 and August 2. She could not recall history of mosquito bites.

     Her home contact has remained asymptomatic and has been put under medical surveillance.

     "We are working closely with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) to assess and prevent possible spread of infection. The FEHD's vector investigations, surveillance and control are ongoing. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "The CHP has provided information and locations of the residences and local movements of the local DF cases on the CHP's designated webpage for DF to facilitate handy access to information for the public," the spokesman said.

     The CHP appeals to members of the public not to visit Lion Rock Park during the closure period in order to prevent contracting DF. Scientific studies have shown that infected persons can transmit the virus to mosquitoes through mosquito bites even if they remain asymptomatic or before their onset of symptoms, leading to further spread of the disease. Hence, people who have visited Lion Rock Park are advised to apply insect repellent for 14 days after their last visit, and those with DF symptoms should seek medical advice as early as possible. Meanwhile, people who reside in or visit Cheung Chau should also be advised to apply insect repellent during their stay and continue applying it for 14 days after their last day of stay to prevent infection and secondary spread.

     Persons who have been to the vicinity of Wong Tai Sin (particularly Lion Rock Park), Kwai Shing West Estate, Clear Water Bay Second Beach, Cheung Chau (Hillside Road, Tsan Tuen Road, Fa Peng Road, San Hing Street, Cheung Chau Sai Tai Road, Lung Tsai Tsuen, Xavier House, Sai Wan Road, Tung Loi Court and Cheung Chau Peak Road) and Charming Garden with DF symptoms should call the CHP's hotline (2125 1122) for laboratory investigation or referral as appropriate. The hotline operates from 9am to 5.45pm daily.

     "We have informed the Guangdong and Macao health authorities to alert them to the latest situation," the spokesman added.

     This is the 29th local case recorded this year. Excluding the local cases, as of noon today, 65 imported cases had been recorded in 2018. The cases were mainly imported from Thailand (26), the Philippines (12) and Cambodia (8).
 
      In the rainy season, the public should take heed of the following advice on mosquito control:
 

• Thoroughly check all gully traps, roof gutters, surface channels and drains to prevent blockage;
• Scrub and clean drains and surface channels with an alkaline detergent compound at least once a week to remove any deposited mosquito eggs;
• Properly dispose of refuse, such as soft drink cans, empty bottles and boxes, in covered litter containers;
• Completely change the water of flowers and plants at least once a week. The use of saucers should be avoided if possible;
• Level irregular ground surfaces before the rainy season;
• Avoid staying in shrubby areas; and
• Take personal protective measures such as wearing light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and trousers and apply insect repellent containing DEET to clothing or uncovered areas of the body when doing outdoor activities.
   

      To reduce the risk of infections spread by mosquitoes, apart from general measures, travellers returning from affected areas should apply insect repellent for 14 days (DF) or at least 21 days (Zika Virus Infection) upon arrival in Hong Kong. If feeling unwell, seek medical advice promptly and provide travel details to the doctor. DEET-containing insect repellents are effective and the public should take heed of the tips below:
 

• Read the label instructions carefully first;
• Apply right before entering an area with risk of mosquito bites;
• Apply on exposed skin and clothing;
• Use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children*;
• Apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent; and
• Re-apply only when needed and follow the instructions.

* For children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent.

      The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems and may visit the DF pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, the latest Travel Health News, tips for using insect repellents, the CHP Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the FEHD's Guidebook on Control and Prevention of Mosquito Breeding for more information.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) held the Opening Ceremony of the Jockey Club Cancer Research Laboratory today (September 4) to mark the completion of a redevelopment programme. Equipped with a large Cancer Biobank and specialised cancer research equipment with advanced technologies, the redeveloped Laboratory provides a professional cancer research platform for public hospitals under the Hospital Authority (HA), bringing together doctors and researchers to carry out various forms of scientific and translational medical research conducive to cancer diagnosis and treatment, which can benefit more patients. 
 
     The officiating guests at the Opening Ceremony included Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Mr Michael Lee; the HA Chairman, Professor John Leong; the HA Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin; the Chairman of the QEH Hospital Governing Committee, Dr Kam Pok-man; and the Cluster Chief Executive of Kowloon Central Cluster and Hospital Chief Executive of QEH, Dr Albert Lo.
 
     Officiating at the ceremony, Professor Leong expressed gratitude to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous donation and unfailing support for cancer research. "With the generous support of the Trust, our Laboratory has become the largest cancer research laboratory in the HA alongside the similar facilities in the two local university hospitals. It shoulders the responsibility of building a cancer biobank. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our QEH oncology team, and hope that they will keep up their professionalism and seek patients' support in collecting tissue and blood specimens, which enables translation of research findings into applications ranging from cancer prevention and diagnosis to treatment, bringing benefits to more patients."
 
     Also speaking at the ceremony, Mr Lee said the HKJC hoped that its support for the redevelopment of the Cancer Research Laboratory could help to increase the effectiveness of cancer diagnosis and treatment, benefiting more cancer patients. "The Club believes that prevention is better than cure, and that regular check-ups and early treatment are very important, especially in dealing with cancer," he said. "Therefore the Club has been investing actively in cancer prevention and treatment, as well as co-operating with different organisations to enhance cancer-related services."
 
     On behalf of the QEH Hospital Governing Committee and hospital staff, Dr Kam expressed heartfelt thanks to the Trust for its generous donation to upgrade the Laboratory into a well-equipped research platform where research knowledge would be explored to benefit patients of various cancer types in Hong Kong.
 
     Located in the Department of Clinical Oncology of QEH, the Cancer Research Laboratory has undergone redevelopment since 2014 with the generous donation of $54.7 million from the Trust. Following interior renovation, enhancement of laboratory facilities and installation of high-end research equipment, the whole project was completed in 2017. The key research areas of the Laboratory include setting up a Cancer Biobank, genomic study and cancer biomarker research, cell line and animal experiments, preclinical tests for anti-cancer drugs, and histological and cytological analyses. The state-of-the-art equipment enables laboratory researchers to conduct cancer research and analyses leading to applications in cancer screening and diagnosis.
 
     The redeveloped Laboratory has established a large Cancer Biobank, which is research infrastructure to facilitate cancer study, in the hope that it will become a base for collection of cancer specimens. Tumour specimens such as tissues of various cancer types, blood and body fluids collected from cancer patients will be stored in ultra-low temperature freezers or liquid nitrogen storage tanks.
 
     Researchers will access the stored specimens from the Cancer Biobank and conduct genomic study on the specimens with the application of high-end equipment like a next-generation sequencer, confocal and fluorescent microscopy and more to identify cancer biomarkers for cancer prognostication, disease monitoring and prevention, screening and treatment, as well as culturing cancer cells for anti-cancer drug tests. The Laboratory has set a target of collecting hundreds of tumour specimens and thousands of blood samples annually from the HA cancer centres in the coming five years. Currently the Laboratory's researchers are working closely with QEH oncologists in studying the development of common cancers in Hong Kong such as nasopharyngeal cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer, as well as finding cancer-associated genes and cancer biomarkers for local populations in order to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

    

     Regarding media enquiries today (September 4) on the ticketing sales of the "My Love Andy Lau World Tour‧Hong Kong 2018" concert through the URBTIX website, a spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) gave the following response:
 
     The URBTIX system has operated normally throughout the day. Since a large number of customers were attempting to log in to the URBTIX system before the ticket sales started, the web traffic has been very busy since 8am so that some users may not be able to log in instantly and need to retry patiently.
 
     In fact, the URBTIX system has been operating normally and selling tickets for the Andy Lau concert continuously since the ticket sales started. Around 60 000 tickets went on sale today and they were almost sold out by 3pm. Nearly 60 per cent of the tickets were sold in the first hour (10am to 11am) and over 90 per cent were sold before noon. Online sale of tickets has been smooth in general throughout the day.
 
    The LCSD has implemented a series of measures to ensure that tickets can be sold through formal channels in an orderly and fair manner. URBTIX has also been enhancing the system functions to prevent browsing and ticket purchasing activities by automated computer programmes. In addition to the system's auto-retry access every three seconds for customers, the ticket sales updates are provided from time to time for better transparency.
 
     When handling ticketing arrangements for very popular events, URBTIX proactively discusses with event organisers to set a maximum number of tickets that each patron can purchase per transaction and impose a limit on the number of tickets that can be purchased with the same credit card on the first day of public sale so that more people can have a chance to purchase tickets. For the Andy Lau concert, a maximum of four tickets can be purchased per transaction and the maximum number of tickets that can be bought with the same credit card on the first day of public sale is four. The LCSD has also been reviewing the ticket sale situation from time to time and investigating with the current system contractor of URBTIX for the enhancement and upgrade of the system functions including increase of web servers and bandwidth to strengthen the handling capacity and throughput of the system, as well as exploring any possible solutions to enhance the system capacity to cope with the immense demand during the first day of public sale for very popular events.
 
     The LCSD will continue to review the ticketing arrangements through URBTIX and make reference to the experiences of markets inside and outside Hong Kong, as well as discuss with event organisers on the suitable ticketing arrangements for different programmes.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (September 4) announced that a packed milk drink sample was found to contain an excessive amount of Bacillus cereus, a pathogen. The CFS is following up on the case.

     Details of the product are as follows:

Product name: Kowloon Dairy Hi-Calcium Skimmed milk drink
Manufacturer: The Kowloon Dairy Ltd
Volume: 236 millilitres per pack
Use-by date: August 23, 2018

     A CFS spokesman said, "Following up on a food complaint, the CFS collected the above sample from a supermarket in Sha Tin for testing. The test result showed that the sample contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 3.8 million per gram. Under the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, if ready-to-eat food contains Bacillus cereus at a level of more than 100 000 per gram, it is considered unsatisfactory."

     The spokesman said that the CFS had informed the manufacturer and the vendor concerned of the test result. Investigation was conducted at the production plant and the supermarket concerned and follow-up samples were collected for further testing. Investigation is ongoing. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene for the staff of the production plant and the supermarket and requested them to carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection.

     According to Section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.

     The CFS will alert the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action in order to safeguard public health and food safety.

     The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, visited Tsuen Wan District today (September 4) to visit a co-working space and the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre, and met with Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC) members.
           
     Accompanied by the Chairman of TWDC, Mr Chung Wai-ping; the Vice Chairman of TWDC, Mr Wong Wai-kit; and the District Officer (Tsuen Wan), Miss Jenny Yip, Mr Lau first met with TWDC members to exchange views on district issues.
           
     Mr Lau then visited Smart-Space 8, a co-working space, and met with young entrepreneurs. Smart-Space 8 is a co-working space under the Space Sharing Scheme for Youth with 60 flexi-spaces, 48 workstations and 34 office rooms. It allows young entrepreneurs of about 140 startup companies to rent working spaces at a discounted price.  
           
     Mr Lau round off the visit by touring the facilities in the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre including the main arena, the public indoor play room for children and the outdoor climbing wall. The sports centre occupies about 12 000 square metres of floor area featuring a main arena with a seating capacity of about 1 900 persons, and is equipped with ancillary facilities, such as a doping control room, for hosting major local, regional and international sports events.