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.

  

     A woman was fined $6,000 at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (August 21) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in January this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Des Voeux Road West in Sai Ying Pun. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.

     According to the OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.

     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
            
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     Police today (August 21) appealed to the public for information on a fatal traffic accident in Wong Tai Sin on August 14 in which an 86-year-old woman died.

     At about 4.45pm that day, a private car driven by a 59-year-old man was travelling along Shung Wah Street eastbound. When turning right to Po Kong Village Road, it reportedly knocked down the 86-year-old woman who was crossing the road.

     Sustaining injuries to her lower body, the female pedestrian was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in conscious state, and was certified dead at 1.22pm on August 19.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, Kowloon East is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 2305 7582 or 2305 7606.