Tag Archives: China

     The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, will leave for Guangzhou tomorrow morning (June 5) and will have a meeting with the Guangdong Provincial Government on operational matters of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Ho… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (June 4) investigating an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in a kindergarten in Southern District, and again urged the public, schools and institutions to maintain strict hand, personal and environmental hygiene.

     The outbreak affected 20 children, 14 boys and six girls aged 3 to 5, who have developed oral ulcers, rash and vesicles on their hands and feet since May 18. Among them, 16 sought medical attention and none required hospitalisation. All of them have been in stable condition.

     Officers of the CHP have conducted a site visit to the school and advised the management on necessary infection control and preventive measures. Investigations are ongoing.

     “HFMD is common in children while adult cases may also appear. It is usually caused by enteroviruses (EVs) such as Coxsackie virus and EV71. It is clinically characterised by maculopapular rashes or vesicular lesions occurring on the palms, soles and other parts of the body such as the buttocks and thighs. Vesicular lesions and ulcers may also be found in the oral cavity. Sometimes patients present mainly with painful ulcers at the back of the mouth, namely herpangina, without rash on the hands or feet,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     To prevent HFMD, members of the public, and especially the management of institutions, should take heed of the following preventive measures:
 

• Maintain good air circulation;
• Wash hands before meals and after going to the toilet or handling diapers or other stool-soiled materials;
• Keep hands clean and wash hands properly, especially 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 oral discharges properly;
• Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as furniture, toys and commonly shared items with 1:99 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 99 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes, and then rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic surfaces, disinfect with 70 per cent alcohol;
• Use absorbent disposable towels to wipe away obvious contaminants such as respiratory secretions, vomitus or excreta, and then disinfect the surface and neighbouring areas with 1:49 diluted household bleach (mixing one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite with 49 parts of water), leave for 15 to 30 minutes and then rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic surfaces, disinfect with 70 per cent alcohol;
• Children who are ill should be kept out of school until their fever and rash have subsided and all the vesicles have dried and crusted;
• Avoid going to overcrowded places; and
• Parents should maintain close communication with schools to let them know the latest situation of the sick children.

     The public may visit the CHP’s page on HFMD and EV71 infection and Public Health Advice for Play Facilities for more information. read more

     The meeting of the Legislative Council Subcommittee on Medical Council (Election and Appointment of Lay Members) Regulation originally scheduled for tomorrow (June 5) at 8.30am has been cancelled. read more

     A woman who went missing in Wong Tai Sin was located.      Wong Lai-shan, aged 23, went missing after she left her residence in Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate in January 2017. Her family made a repor… read more

     Under the influence of an upper-air anticyclone over the northern part of the South China Sea, Hong Kong experienced an exceptionally hot and dry May this year with a 20-day fine spell that persisted till the end of the month. There were in total 16 very hot days and six hot nights in the month, breaking the records for May.
 
     The monthly mean temperature of 28.3 degrees was 2.4 degrees above the normal figure and the highest recorded for May. The monthly mean minimum and maximum temperatures were 26.1 degrees and 31.7 degrees respectively, which were 2.0 degrees and 3.3 degrees above their respective normal figures, and were the highest and second highest on record for May. The total duration of bright sunshine was 236.9 hours, 96.5 hours above the normal figure of 140.4 hours and the fourth highest on record for May. The mean cloud amount of 62 per cent and the mean relative humidity of 77 per cent were the fifth and the third lowest on record respectively for May. Rainfall in the month amounted to only 57.5 millimetres, less than one-fifth of the normal of 304.7 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first five months of the year was 175.0 millimetres, a deficit of 73 per cent compared to the normal figure of 640.8 millimetres and the second lowest recorded for the same period.
 
     Apart from some isolated showers and coastal fog on May 1, the month began with generally fine weather. After a very hot day on May 3, the weather turned cloudy with some scattered showers towards the evening as winds strengthened from the east. The easterly airstream brought much cooler conditions and the month’s lowest temperature of 22.1 degrees was recorded on May 4. As the easterly airstream subsided, the weather turned brighter over the next two days despite the occurrence of some showers, particularly over the eastern part of the territory on May 6.
 
     With a trough of low pressure over Guangdong moving towards the coastal areas, the weather in Hong Kong turned cloudy with showers and thunderstorms later on May 7. More than 50 millimetres of rain fell over Hong Kong Island and Sai Kung on the morning of May 8 as the trough swept across the territory. Cloudy and showery conditions continued for the next three days as a strengthening easterly airstream once again brought cooler weather to the south China coastal areas.
 
     As the easterly airstream subsided and an upper-air anticyclone became firmly established over the northern part of the South China Sea, a spell of fine weather set in on May 12 and persisted till the end of the month. The territory was mostly rain-free during the period, apart from some isolated showers on May 21, 22, 25 and 30, and showers on the mornings of May 26 and 27 as a trough of low pressure developed over southern China. With long hours of sunshine, a heat wave tightened its grip on the territory in the latter half of the month with daytime temperatures at the Hong Kong Observatory reaching 33.0 degrees or above for 15 consecutive days from May 17 to 31 and soaring to a peak of 35.4 degrees on May 30, the highest temperature of the month and the second highest on record for May. The Very Hot Weather Warning remained in force for more than 320 hours, a record since the introduction of the warning in 2000.
 
     There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in May 2018.
 
     Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in May are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from the normal for May are tabulated in Table 2. read more