Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) said today (May 13) that it is investigating a confirmed Mpox (also known as Monkeypox) case, and urged the public to heighten vigilance and avoid close physical contact with persons suspected of contracting Mpox. Meanwhile, high-risk target groups are advised to receive Mpox vaccination.

     The case involves a 32-year-old male patient with underlying diseases. He had developed skin rash since May 7 and visited the Yau Ma Tei Male Social Hygiene Clinic of the DH on May 9. He is in stable condition and arrangements have been made for him to be admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital.

     An initial investigation revealed that the patient had high-risk exposure in Hong Kong during the incubation period. Furthermore, he visited the Mainland on April 19 and between April 23 and May 2. According to the patient, he had no high-risk exposure during the above periods in the Mainland. No epidemiological linkages between this case and other confirmed cases recorded in Hong Kong earlier have been found so far. The CHP is continuing its epidemiological investigations of the case and will report the case to the World Health Organization.

     The CHP appeals again to high-risk target groups to receive Mpox vaccination with a view to lowering the risk of infection or the possibility of having more severe symptoms after infection. Persons who experience Mpox symptoms (including rashes, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle pain, and severe headaches) or suspect themselves of being infected are advised to seek medical attention and receive treatment at once, and they should not engage in activities with others during which other people may have contact with their skin rash or body fluids. Members of the public should maintain good personal and hand hygiene to prevent virus transmission or infection through contact. They should also avoid close physical contact with persons or animals suspected of infection.

     The CHP had earlier set up an Mpox telephone hotline (2125 2373). The hotline operates from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 9am to 5pm, which enables those who suspect or are concerned they have had high-risk contact with confirmed patients, in particular men who have sex with men or those who have sexual practices with strangers, to make enquiries and receive relevant health advice.

     The DH provides vaccination service for high-risk groups of MPox. The following high-risk target groups can receive Mpox vaccination on a voluntary basis:
 

1. Individuals with high-risk sexual practices, e.g. having multiple sexual partners, sex workers, or having a history of sexually transmitted infection within the past 12 months;
2. Healthcare workers responsible for caring of patients with confirmed Mpox;
3. Laboratory personnel working with zoonotic pox viruses; and
4. Animal care personnel with high risk of exposure in case of Mpox occurrence in animals in Hong Kong.

     High-risk target groups can receive Mpox walk-in vaccinations at all of the DH’s Social Hygiene Service Clinics (SocHS) (namely Chai Wan SocHS, Wan Chai Male SocHS, Wan Chai Female SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Male SocHS, Yau Ma Tei Female SocHS, Yung Fung Shee SocHS, Fanling SocHS and Tuen Mun SocHS). Further information of the clinics including their locations is available at www.dh.gov.hk/english/tele/tele_chc/tele_chc_shcf.html and www.dh.gov.hk/english/tele/tele_chc/tele_chc_shcm.html.

     Meanwhile, the DH’s Kowloon Bay Integrated Treatment Centre and Yau Ma Tei Integrated Treatment Centre, and the Hospital Authority’s Special Medical Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital will also provide Mpox vaccination services for their clients.

     â€‹For more details, please visit the CHP’s page on Mpox. read more

     Hong Kong Customs today (May 13) took enforcement action and seized 63 pieces of clothing tops with suspected false descriptions of the country of origin from the branches of a chain retailing group. Three women suspected to be connected with the case were arrested.

     Customs earlier received information alleging that clothes of a specific brand with suspected false descriptions of the country of origin were put on sale in a chain retailing group. Customs officers then test-purchased the branded clothes from three branches of the group located in Sha Tin and Tseung Kwan O. It was found that the clothes bore two different country of origin labels, namely “made in korea” and “MADE IN CHINA”.

     Customs subsequently took action today and seized 63 pieces of clothing tops, with a total value of $9,000, with suspected false descriptions of country of origin from the three branches. During the operation, Customs officers arrested a female manager and two female persons-in-charge of the branches, aged between 42 and 49. They have been released on bail pending further investigation. 

     The case is still under investigation and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). Under the TDO, any person who supplies goods with a false trade description in the course of trade or business, or is in possession of any goods for sale with a false trade description, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the TDO to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/). read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (May 13) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From May 5 to 11, the CHP recorded one community-acquired LD case, involving a male patient, aged 63 with good past health, who lives in Sai Kung District.

     “Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     As of May 11, 31 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2023 and 2022, there were 121 and 80 cases respectively.

     “Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels,” the spokesman said.

     Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.

     Immunocompromised persons should:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers’ instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily. 

     â€‹The public should observe the health advice below:
     

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer’s recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors’ professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes: 

1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     â€‹â€‹The public may visit the CHP’s LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP’s risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 13)… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     To implement the national strategy to steadily advance the opening-up of China’s financial markets, the mutual access between the Mainland and Hong Kong interest rate swap markets (Swap Connect) was launched on May 15, 2023. Since the launch, the trading and clearing arrangements of Swap Connect have been operating smoothly and its trading volume has been on the rise with active participation of Mainland and overseas investors. As of the end of April 2024, 20 Mainland dealers and 58 overseas investors had conducted more than 3 600 interest rate swap transactions with an aggregate notional amount of approximately RMB1.77 trillion, representing an average daily turnover of RMB7.6 billion or thereabouts in notional amount. The average daily turnover calculated on a monthly basis had increased by around three times from approximately RMB3 billion in the first month after the launch to over RMB12 billion in April 2024, providing Mainland and overseas investors with a convenient and efficient risk management tool to manage their RMB asset allocation.
      
     To further promote the co-ordinated development of financial derivatives markets in the Mainland and Hong Kong and establish a framework to facilitate high-quality opening-up in the realm of finance, the People’s Bank of China, the Securities and Futures Commission and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority have resolved to support the following further enhancements of Swap Connect, after thoroughly reviewing the operational experiences of Swap Connect and carefully considering comments and suggestions from Mainland and overseas investors. First, to enrich the product types, interest rate swap contracts with payment cycles based on the International Monetary Market dates will be accepted for clearing to align with mainstream products traded globally and meet the diverse risk management needs of Mainland and overseas investors. Second, to improve the ancillary services, compression service and the clearing of backdated swap contracts as the associated supporting arrangement will be introduced to facilitate participating institutions to manage the notional amount outstanding, lower capital costs, and foster active trading. In addition, the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (National Interbank Funding Center), the Shanghai Clearing House, and OTC Clearing Hong Kong Limited will roll out other system enhancements and incentive programmes simultaneously to reduce the participation costs of Mainland and overseas investors.
      
     For the next step, the Mainland and Hong Kong regulators will guide the financial market infrastructure institutions in both markets to extend the business collaboration under Swap Connect in a steady and orderly manner and further enhance the operational arrangements of the scheme, with a view to facilitating the steady opening-up of China’s financial markets and strengthening Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre. read more